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THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS  FROM 
DOWN  IN  DIXIE 


GIFT  BOOK 

SERIES  FOR  BOYS 

AND  GIRLS 

w 

Three  Little  Crackers 

By  Will  Allen  Dromgoole 

Three  Children  of  Galilee 

By  John  Gordon 

Miss  Gray’s  Girls 

By  Jeanette  A.  Grant 

The  Fairy  Folk  of  Blue  Hill 

By  Lily  F.  Wesselhoeft 

Little  Bermuda 

By  Maria  Louise  Pool 

The  Wild  Ruthvens 

By  Curtis  York 

King  Pippin 

By  Mrs.  Gerard  Ford 

The  Adventures  of  a 

Siberian  Cub 

By  Leon  Golschmann 

The  Woodranger 

By  G.  Waldo  Browne 

A Bad  Penny 

By  John  T.  Wheelwright 

Feats  on  the  Fiord 

By  Harriet  Marti neau 

Songs  and  Rhymes  for  the  Little  Ones 

By  Mary  W.  Morrison 

The  Young  Pearl  Divers 

By  H.  Phelps  Whitmarsh 

Timothy  Dole 

By  Juniata  Salsbury 

m 

L.  C.  Page  and  Company,  Publishers 

25  “2 

o w 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS 

H 

FROM  DOWN  IN  DIXIE 


BY 

WILL  ALLEN  DROMGOOLE 


EliustratrtJ  bg 

ETHELDRED  B.  BARRY 


BOSTON 

L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY 

(incorporated) 

1899 


Copyright , i8q8 

By  L.  C.  Page  and  Company 
(incorporated) 


Colonial  ^'3rtss: 

Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  C.  H.  Simonds  & Co. 
Boston,  U.  S.  A. 


BJ  3, 

27%^! 


To  My  Friends 

Captain  anti  £Hrs.  3.  3.  ptjarcj 

To  WHOM  I AM  INDEBTED  FOR  MUCH  THAT  INSPIRED  THE 
WRITING  OF  THE  STORY,  AND  WHOSE  BEAUTIFUL 
HOME  AT  YALAHA  HAS  SERVED  IT  FOR 
A BACKGROUND,  THE 

THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS 

BEG  TO  MAKE  THEIR  BOW  AND  PAY  THEIR 
AFFECTIONATE  DUTY 


In  Dix-ie  Landwhar  I was  torn  in  Ear-ly  on  one 


fros-ty  mocnin,Look  away  ! Look  away  ! Away  down  south  in  Dixie. 


CHAPTER 

CONTENTS 

* 

PAGE 

L 

Pioneers  

13 

II. 

Col  Alto,  Indians,  Bijou  .... 

26 

III. 

Adventures  and  a Rescue 

44 

IV. 

Visitors  : Cracker  vs.  Cracker 

6l 

V. 

The  Old  Blind  Alligator 

75 

VI. 

Who  Stole  the  Bear-trap  ? . . . 

9i 

VII. 

Hunting  Alligator  Eggs  .... 

108 

VIII. 

Jacko  and  the  Eggs  

125 

IX. 

TO  THE  WlTHLACOOCHEE  RlVER  . 

135 

X. 

Camp  Life  on  the  Withlacoochee  . 

150 

XI. 

Getting  Even;  Bears;  The  Old  Well  . 

162 

XII. 

A Rescue;  Two  Famous  Letters;  Speech- 

making 

177 

XIII. 

Bijou  and  the  Alligators  .... 

197 

XIV. 

More.  Alligators 

215 

XV. 

Into  the  New  House 

227 

XVI. 

Yalaha  ........ 

238 

“The  Crackers  forgot  to  stir;  but  stood 


“The  Crackers  forgot  to  stir;  but  stood 

WATCHING  THE  MAD  ALLIGATOR  WITH  A KIND 

of  helpless  fascination  ” . . Frontispiece 

Mr.  Bus  Joiner’s  first  appearance  . . -19 

Col  Alto 29 

“The  Mate  dropped  knife  and  fork”.  . . 32 

“ 1 Gophers  ! ’ sneered  Jack.  1 It’s  Indians  ! ’ ” . 40 

The  Captain  and  the  Mate  .....  45 

The  three  little  Crackers  started  out  to 

hunt  Indians 53 

‘“Wildcats!”’ 55 

The  Mate’s  flower  garden  .....  65 

“ He  set  off  at  a brisk  trot,  . . . the  fright- 
ened BOYS  CLINGING  TO  HIS  NECK”  . . -71 

“Word  came  that  Uncle  James  was  ill”  . . 77 

The  old  blind  alligator.  .....  83 

The  alligator  wakes  up  . . . . . .87 

1 1 


12 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE, 


The  boys’  fright 

90 

Minnows  for  bait 

97 

Three  little  Crackers  on  duty 

102 

On  the  lake  .... 

115 

“A  RABBIT  RAN  ACROSS  THE  TRAIL” 

1 18 

In  THE  BIG  PUNCH-BOWL 

127 

JACKO  AND  THE  EGGS  . 

132 

Packing 

141 

A PHOSPHATE  mine 

151 

Jack  endeavors  to  correct  Luke 

o 

160 

Mrs.  Joiner 

164 

‘“Bear!  Bear!  Bear!”’  . 

167 

In  THE  PIT 

175 

Going  visiting  .... 

181 

Joe  lends  a hand  to  the  enemy 

18S 

The  little  Cracker’s  maiden  speech 
“The  little  Cracker  rode  off  on 

his 

LITTLE 

193 

pony  ” 

J99 

Mr.  Joiner  talks 

202 

The  trap  found  .... 

209 

What  killed  the  alligator  . 

216 

Mr.  Joiner’s  fortune 

224 

The  new  house  .... 

229 

The  little  Cracker  has  an  idea 

234 

The  steamer  .... 

241 

THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS  FROM 
DOWN  IN  DIXIE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PIONEERS. 

It  was  high  noon  of  a day  in  January,  when 
the  steamer  landed  them,  “ dumped  them,”  the 
pioneer’s  wife  had  said,  at  the  point  most  con- 
venient to  their  new  home  in  the  Florida 
wilderness. 

There  were  five  of  them,  not  including 
Polly,  the  parrot,  who  really  ought  to  be 
included,  since  she  was  doing  more  talking 
at  the  moment  of  landing  than  any  one 
member  of  the  party. 

First,  there  was  the  Captain  himself,  the 
leader  and  head  of  the  party,  who  had  once 
been  captain  of  a steamboat,  had  prospered, 


13 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


inherited  a fortune  with  his  wife,  in  the  uncul- 
tivated lands  of  Florida,  and  was  now  moving: 
his  family  there  to  take  possession.  There 
was  the  Captain’s  wife,  and  there  were  the 
boys , three  of  them,  three  brave,  eager,  inex- 
perienced young  pioneers.  These  made  up 
the  company  “ dumped  ” upon  the  landing  that 
morning  in  January. 

In  their  Alabama  home,  which  they  had  left 
for  the  Southern  wilderness,  the  boys  answered 
to  the  names  of  “Joseph,”  “Jimmie,”  and 
“Jackie.”  But  the  Captain’s  wife,  as  a stimu- 
lus to  the  boys’  courage,  had  shortened  the 
names  at  the  moment  of  departure. 

They  accepted  their  abbreviated  names  as 
a part  of  the  life  upon  which  they  were  about 
to  enter,  — a life  that  was  to  have  its  pleasures 
and  its  adventures,  without  those  extreme 
hardships  which  usually  fall  to  the  lot  of  the 
pioneer. 

The  change  of  abode  had  been  necessary, 
the  physician  said,  because  of  a consumptive 
tendency  in  both  branches  of  the  family,  that 
had  suddenly  given  hint  of  something  serious. 
This  hint  decided  the  Captain  at  once  to 
remove  to  Florida,  where  his  wife’s  brother 
had  gone  several  years  previously. 


PIONEERS. 


15 


“ And  our  boys  shall  be  pioneers,”  said  the 
mother,  when  the  three  pale  young  fellows 
protested  against  going.  “ They  shall  be 
pioneers,  and  help  to  open  a way  in  the 
Florida  wilderness.” 

The  “ pioneer  ” idea  was  fascinating  to  their 
young  minds,  as  the  mother  knew  it  would  be, 
but  the  old  life  was  not  without  its  fascina- 
tions also.  The  brothers  had  not  made  the 
exchange  without  more  or  less  regret. 

It  was  en  route  that  Jack,  the  youngest, 
offered  his  last  protest. 

“ It  is  like  not  being  a boy  any  more,”  said 
he,  “ to  be  moved  off  into  another  country, 
and  to  be  called  just ‘Jack.’  I tell  you  now, 
mother,  ‘ Jackie  ’ is  good  enough  for  me.” 

“ Why,  who  ever  heard  of  a pioneer  called 
‘ Jackie  ? ’ ” laughed  the  Captain’s  wife.  “ Why, 
I think  that  would  suggest  a baby,  rather  than 
a brave  pioneer.” 

She  knew  that  Master  Jack  had  really 
offered  his  objections  to  the  abbreviation  only 
since  James,  the  second  son,  had,  in  a spirit  of 
teasing,  scratched  upon  a box  belonging  to  his 
brother,  “A  Jack — Paris  S,”  and  left  it  so, 
with  that  long,  suggestive  hyphen  between  the 
names. 


i6 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


The  Captain’s  wife  had  not  dared  to  smile, 
so  she  said : 

“ Who  ever  heard  of  a pioneer  called  Jackie  ? 
Or  even  J ackson  ? ” Anticipating  Master  J ack’s 
reply. 

Upon  which  the  three,  to  the  Captain’s  great 
amusement,  had  set  up  a wild  shout  of  “/ 
have!”  “I  have!”  “ So  have  I!”  “Where’s 
Old  Hickory  ? ” “ Remember  Old  Hickory, 

mother.” 

“ And  so  I do,”  said  the  Captain’s  wife,  recov- 
ering her  ground.  “ But  I remember  the  great 
warrior  who  opened  the  way  for  the  white 
man  in  the  Florida  wilderness,  was  not  called 
‘ Andy ;’  but  because  he  was  so  brave,  ‘so 
tough,’  the  soldiers  said,  that  neither  Andrew, 
nor  Jackson  itself,  was  strong  enough,  they 
called  him  ‘ Old  Hickory.’  ” 

And  after  that  no  more  was  said  against  the 
new  names,  or  rather  the  nicknames,  and  the 
boys  landed  by  the  steamer  that  noon  in  Jan- 
uary were  ever  after  known  as  Joe,  James,  and 
Jack,  the  pioneers. 

The  Captain  stood  amongst  his  plunder, 
boxes  and  barrels  and  great  bundles,  and 
began  to  take  an  inventory. 

“ Everything  here,”  he  announced,  after  a 


PIONEERS. 


17 


moment’s  calculating.  “Everything  here,  ex- 
cept the  Cracker,  ‘Bus  Joiner,’  who  was  to 
meet  us  with  his  team.  Shall  we  wait  for 
him,  or  go  on  ? The  house  is  but  a short 
distance  back;  up  there  among  those  moss- 
hung  live-oaks.” 

“ And  leave  our  goods  and  chattels  ? ” his 
wife  demanded. 

“Nobody  to  bother,”  said  the  Captain,  “and 
we  can  be  getting  acquainted  with  our  new 
home  while  waiting  for  Mr.  Joiner.  Come, 
boys ; everybody  take  a load,  and  forward, 
march ! I am  Captain  of  this  company.” 

But  the  Captain’s  wife  quietly  seated  her- 
self upon  a great  roll  of  bedding  and  proceeded 
to  make  a remark,  the  result  of  which  was  the 
name  by  which  we  shall  know  her  throughout 
these  pages. 

“ Captain,”  said  she,  “ I shall  not  desert  my 
possessions.  Remember  we  brought  with  us, 
on  the  steamer,  only  those  things  absolutely 
and  immediately  necessary,  and  our  valuables. 
Why,  sir,  my  great-grandmother’s  silver  is  a 
part  of  this  luggage  ; I shall  not  desert  it,  sir. 
Yi  you  are  Captain,  please  remember  that  I am 
Mated 

At  this  the  boys  gave  a cheer,  in  which  the 


i8 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


Captain  was  forced  to  join.  A cheer  which 
continued  until  the  “ Mate  ” rose  from  the  bun- 
dle of  bedding,  seized  the  Captain  by  the  arm, 
and  pointed  down  the  long,  level  opening  in 
the  hammock  land,  an  opening  that  was  soon 
to  be  christened  “ the  road,”  towards  a queer 
shambling  concern  that  was  lazily  creeping 
along  through  the  deep  white  sand. 

“ What  is  it  ? ” said  she.  “ Man  or  beast  ? 
Captain,  will  you  please  to  give  a name  to  the 
something  that  approaches  our  landing  ? ” 

The  Captain  laughed. 

“ Why,  Sue,”  said  he,  “ that  is  a genuine 
Florida  Cracker,  a semi-tropical,  native  growth. 
And  he  is  no  other  than  Mr.  Bus  Joiner, 
better  known  to  himself  as  ‘Bus  J’iner;’  and 
he  comes  to  help  us  to  our  cabin  on  the  hill  up 
yonder.” 

“ But,  father,”  said  Joe,  “ if  that  is  Mr.  Joiner, 
what  is  the  rest  of  him  ? ” 

“The  rest  of  him,”  laughed  the  Captain,  “is 
his  team.  That  upon  which  he  rides  is  the 
horse,  or  rather  mare.  She  is  blind,  and  so  he 
has  belled  her.  The  conveyance  attached  to 
the  mare,  and  worked  upon  wooden  wheels,  is 
a wagon  ; those  red,  white,  and  yellow  trappings 
are  strips  of  cloth  and  old  rope ; he  calls  them 


PIONEERS. 


19 


his  gear.  Quite  an  original  turnout,  to  say  the 
least  of  it.  Take  a good  look,  and  do  your 
commenting  while  he  is  at  a distance.  Not  a 
word  about  the  team  in  the  owner’s  hearing, 
understand.” 

The  “good 
look”  showed 
them  a rude 
wagon-bed 
hoisted  upon 
wooden  wheels, 
and  drawn  by  a 
lank,  lean,  clay- 
bank  mare,  fas- 
tened between 
the  shafts  with 
rope  and  strings 
of  every  size 
and  color.  The 
mare  was  blind, 
and  from  her  long  neck  swung  an  old  cow-bell 
suspended  by  a leathern  band. 

Astride  the  mare,  long  legs  dangling,  feet 
almost  sweeping  the  ground,  face  covered  with 
a coarse,  sunburnt  beard,  long  hair  falling  on 
his  shoulders,  and  keen,  sharp  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  waiting  group,  sat,  in  all  his  glory,  “ Mr. 


20 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


Bus  Joiner,”  better  known  to  himself  and 
family  as  Mr.  Bus  J'iner,  the  Cracker,  with 
whom  the  Captain  had  boarded  while  superin- 
tending the  buildinaf  of  his  dwelling  during  his 
former  visit,  — before  he  removed  his  family  to 
Florida. 

“ A genuine  Cracker,”  said  the  Captain,  in  a 
low  tone.  “ Take  a good  look,  boys.  That 
may  be  a specimen  of  what  you  are  coming 
to.” 

“ A genuine  Cracker,”  repeated  the  Mate,  in 
a lower  tone  still,  as  the  curious-looking  turn- 
out drew  nearer.  As  it  stopped,  and  the  man 
prepared  to  dismount,  a voice  from  the  luggage 
cried  out  shrilly: 

“ A genuine  Cracker ! Ha!  ha!  Joe,  a gen- 
uine Cracker ! ” 

“ Polly  wants  a cracker;  give  it  to  her,  Joe,” 
the  Mate  came  to  the  rescue  at  once ; so  that 
‘ Mr.  Bus  J’iner  ’ never  for  one  moment  doubted 
the  bird  was  calling  for  a bit  of  flour  and 
water. 

The  Captain  made  the  company  acquainted, 
and,  while  they  were  loading  the  wagon  with 
the  goods,  which  Mr.  Joiner  called  “ you-unses 
truck,”  they  proceeded  to  make  themselves 
better  acquainted. 


PIONEERS. 


21 


“This  reminds  me,”  said  the  Mate,  “of  the 
landing  of  the  Pilgrims.” 

“ The  which,  mu’m?  ” said  J’iner. 

“ The  Pilgrims,  — they  were  a handful  of 
brave  folk  who  came  to  this  country  a long 
time  ago  — ” 

“ And  found  nothing  but  savages,”  inter- 
rupted Jack,  before  the  Mate  could  stop  him. 

“ Plenty  un  ’em  roun’  here,”  said  the  Cracker. 

“ Savages  ? ” cried  the  boys  in  a breath, 
unheeding  the  Mate’s  warning  winks. 

“Woods  full  un  ’em.  Bar,  wil’  cat,  deer, 
’possum,  gopher,  painter,  rattler.” 

“ Oh ! ” again  came  the  triple  exclamation. 
“ Oh,  but  that’s  good  ! ” 

“ Will  you  tell  about  them,  sometimes  ? ” 
said  James. 

“ Lots.” 

“ And  maybe  you  go  hunting?  ” said  Joe. 

“ Lots.” 

“Have  you  ever  killed  a bear?”  said  Jack, 
his  eyes  wide  open  with  wonder  and  admiration. 

“ Lots  an  lots.” 

“ And  maybe  you’ll  let  us  go  hunting  with 
you,”  said  Joe.  “ Father  has  brought  guns,  and 
ordered  two  rowboats,  and  says  we  are  to  be 
brave  pioneers,  and  learn  all  about  the  wilder- 


22 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


ness.  Would  you  let  us  go  hunting  long  — ” 
Joe  glanced  at  his  mother,  and  then  at  the 
friendly  Cracker ; he  wished  to  put  himself 
upon  a safe  footing,'  yet  he  stammered  ever 
so  little  before  he  said  — “ long  o’  you-uns  ? ” 

The  confusion  of  loading  the  wagon  drowned 
his  mother’s  words  to  all  ears  except  those  of 
Jack.  “You  little  Cracker!”  he  heard  her 
say ; “ you-uns  air  a reg’lar  little  Cracker  al- 
ready.” 

At  this  moment  there  was  a startled  excla- 
mation from  Mr.  Joiner,  who  dropped  the  box 
he  was  lifting  to  his  shoulder  with  a crash,  and 
went  running  off  to  a safe  distance  behind  the 
wagon. 

“ What’s  that  ? ” he  shouted.  “ What’s  that 
varmint  in  the  box?  Hit  laffed,  — oh,  Laud, 
it  laffed,  and  put  hit’s  han’  out  fur  ter  shake  — 
What’s  hit,  what’s  hit,  Cap’n  ? ” 

Then  the  boys  raised  a shout  that  all  the 
Mate’s  winking  and  frowning  could  not  quell. 
It  was  too  absurd.  A little  brown,  bald  face 
was  thrust  from  the  box,  between  the  slats  that 
had  been  arranged  for  ventilation ; a set  of 
tiny  white  teeth  were  exhibited  in  a delighted 
grin, — there  was  a funny  little  titter,  the  same 
that  had  sent  the  burly  Cracker  to  cover,  and 


PIONEERS. 


23 


Polly,  from  her  cage  behind  the  bedclothes, 
sang  out : 

“Pretty  little  Jacko!  Pretty  little  Jacko  ! 
You’re  a Cracker,  Jacko.  Poor  little  mon- 
key!” 

The  Captain  sat  down  beside  the  boys,  and 
laughed  until  he  had  to  hold  his  sides.  The 

O 

Mate  alone  kept  her  dignity. 

“ It  is  only  Jacko,  Mr.  Joiner,”  she  said. 
“ He  is  our  monkey,  and  cannot  possibly  do 
any  harm  while  in  the  box.  We  keep  him 
chained  always,  or  try  to,  for  when  he  gets 
loose,  he  generally  manages  to  do  a good  deal 
of  mischief.  Put  him  in  the  wagon,  Joe.  And 
now,  Mr.  Joiner,  if  you  will  lift  that  bundle  of 
bedding  up,  and  now  the  parrot’s  cage,  — look 
out  for  your  fingers  ; Polly  is  worse  than  Jacko, 
— and  now,  I think,  we  are  ready  to  start. 
Wait!  There  is  my  roll  of  oilcloth  left;  let  me 
get  it.  This  reminds  me  of  a story  I once 
read  about  a — ” 

“ Mother ! ” 

With  a cry  of  horror  James  sprang  from  his 
place  upon  the  loaded  wagon,  and,  seizing  his 
mother’s  arm,  dragged  her  back  from  the  land- 
ing before  the  others  fairly  comprehended  what 
he  was  doing.  As  he  did  so,  the  bundle  of 


24 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


“ oilcloth  ” gave  a turn,  and  slid  back  into 
the  water. 

“ Sakes  erlive  ! ” drawled  the  Cracker,  “ ef  ’t 
warent  a ’gator ! ” 

The  brown  “ roll  of  oilcloth  ” was  a hideous, 
slimy  alligator  that  had  come  out  for  a noon 
bath  in  the  sunshine. 

“ Shouldn’t  wonder  ef ’t  war  the  blin’  ’gator,” 
said  Mr.  Joiner.  “ But  Laud!  the  kentry’s  full 
uv  ’em.  Got  ter  look  sharp,  / tol’  you.  Look 
out  thar,  missus.  Ye’re  trompin’  on  a rat — " 
With  a shriek  the  Mate  sprang  to  the  wagon, 
and  seized  the  cotton  lines. 

“ A rattlesnake  ? ” she  shouted.  “ Get  up  ! 
Get  away  from  here ! Take  me  back  to  Ala- 
bama ! to  Halifax!  to  Jericho!  Anywhere , but 
Florida,  alligators  and  rattlesnakes.” 

Then  the  boys  did  laugh;  so  did  the  Cap- 
tain ; even  the  Cracker  showed  his  long,  yellow 
teeth  in  a grin,  while  Polly  lent  a mocking 
“Ha!  ha!”  to  the  chorus.  And  the  Mate, 
looking  back,  at  last  understood  the  Cracker’s 
warning. 

“ Yeou  ware  trompin’  on  a rat — ” 

“ Drive  on ! ” she  commanded,  in  all  the 
grandeur  of  offended  dignity.  “ Drive  on,  sir.” 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  obey;  but 


PIONEERS. 


25 


under  the  Cracker’s  yellow  beard  his  lips  parted 
in  a smile  that  developed  into  a chuckle  after 
awhile,  and  he  whispered  into  the  yellow  tangle 
that  “ the  fine  missus  ware  about  to  tromple  on 
a rattlin’  big  turkle,” — meaning  one  of  the  large 
gopher  land-turtles,  with  which  the  pioneers 
were  destined  to  become  better  acquainted. 


CHAPTER  II. 


COL  ALTO,  INDIANS,  BIJOU. 

Ti-ie  new  arrivals  moved  into  their  Florida 
house,  arranged  its  furnishings,  and  began  to 
feel  at  home.  One  morning,  about  a week  after 
their  arrival,  the  Captain  said  to  the  Mate : 
“ Now,  Sue,  lay  aside  high  notions,  and  name 
the  place,  if  it  must  be  named.  Let  it  be 
‘ Cabin  Home,’  or  something  else  as  appro- 
priate. Consider  the  situation.” 

“ The  situation  is  precisely  the  point  I am 
considering,”  said  the  Mate.  “ The  house  is  of 
log;  seven  rooms.  As  to  the  furniture,  there 
is  a Queen  Anne  set  in  one  room,  and  queen 
somebody  else  in  another.  On  the  walls  there 
are  copies,  good  copies  of  Dtirer,  of  Guido,  and 
of  Raphael ; to  say  nothing  of  my  Cleopatra, 
made  directly  from  a copy  of  a copy  of  Cor- 
reggio’s original.  Then,  there  is  the  silver  to 
give  lustre  to  our  cabin  home.  That  silver 
belonged  to  my  great-grandmother,  sir.  I tell 


26 


COL  ALTO,  INDIANS,  BIJOU.  27 

you  we  are  somebody,  Captain,  notwithstand- 
ing the  fortunes  have  set  us  down  in  the  wil- 
derness. Yet,  setting  aside  past  grandeur,  and 
present  possessions  as  well,  I shall  do  as  you 
say,  ‘ consider  the  situation.’  And  so,  consid- 
ering, I christen  our  home  Col  Alto ; high 
hill.  Where  are  the  boys,  Captain  ? ” 

“ Gone  to  Drake  Point  with  Mr.  Bus  Joiner, 
to  see  their  uncle.  Now,  Sue,  what  next?” 
said  the  Captain. 

“ ‘Next,’  the  horses.  If  we  could  have  put 
Bijou  into  a trunk  and  brought  him  along  with 
us,  I should  not  feel  so  helpless,”  laughed  the 
Mate.  “ One  cannot  accomplish  much  without 
a horse  in  a country  without  cart-roads.  Yet, 
I fancy  it  will  be  pleasant  living,  in  this  glo- 
rious climate.  I hope  it,  at  least,  for  the  sake  of 
brother  James,  and  the  dear  darlings.” 

And  the  Mate  sighed  as  she  arranged  her 
old  Alabama  silver  on  the  home-made  side- 
board. She  had  suddenly  remembered  that 
her  invalid  brother  had  not  been  so  well  of 
late ; had  not  indeed  been  well  enough  to  pay 
them  a visit  yet  in  their  new  home,  to  which 
he  was  most  anxious  to  welcome  them,  since 
it  was  he  who  had  persuaded  them  to  move 
to  Florida.  The  two  men,  the  Captain  and 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


his  brother-in-law,  had  bought  up  most  of  the 
land  around  them,  and  had  boarded  with  Mr. 
Joiner  while  they  helped  to  build  the  cabin 
that  was  to  be  their  home  until  they  could 
see  “ what  was  what,”  and,  perhaps,  by  and  by 
build  better. 

The  little  Crackers  liked  their  Florida  home 
from  the  very  moment  of  landing. 

Perhaps  you  may  complain  that  the  boys 
were  not  genuine  Crackers,  since  they  were 
born  in  Alabama,  and  not  in  her  backwoods, 
either.  But  they  came  to  Florida  so  early, 
before  she  was  half  settled,  and  became  so  truly 
her  citizens,  they  were  disposed  to  believe  them- 
selves genuine  Floridians,  at  any  rate.  It  was 
the  Mate  who  first  called  them  Crackers,  for  the 
reason  that  they  formed  such  intimate  friend- 
ship with  Mr.  Joiner  that  they  very  readily 
adopted  his  dialect  and  manners.  Or  would 
have  done  so  but  for  the  Mate’s  continual 
“ nagging,”  as  she  called  it. 

They  came  home  from  their  uncle’s  at  the 
moment  when  supper  was  put  upon  the  table. 
The  same  moment  in  which  their  mother  an- 
nounced the  name  of  their  new  home,  Col  Alto. 

“Uncle  calls  his  place  ‘ Drake  P'int,’  ” said 
Joe,  as  he  opened  a fat  potato  with  his  knife. 


is>  t ) 


COL  ALTO. 


COL  ALTO,  INDIANS,  BIJOU.  3 1 

“ ‘ P’int ! ’ ” screamed  the  Mate.  “ Wherever 
in  the  world  did  you  pick  up  such  English  ? ” 

Joe  blushed  and  made  no  reply.  He  knew 
as  well  as  his  mother  did  that  he  was  indebted 
to  Mr.  Bus  Joiner  for  the  new  pronunciation 
of  Drake  Point,  his  Uncle  James’s  beautiful 
tract  of  land,  consisting  of  the  famous  Florida 
hammock  land,  that  wild  tangle  of  live-oaks, 
gray  moss,  wild  plum  and  orange,  and  of  the 
stately  and  health-giving  pine  land,  farther  up 
from  the  Point  where  he  had  built  his  home. 
The  Point  itself  projected  into  the  lake  upon 
whose  shores  the  families  had  decided  to  cast 
their  lots.  They  were  wealthy  people  for  those 
times,  and  would  at  once  set  about  the  making 
for  themselves  of  a home.  Already  a wharf  was 
planned  for  Drake  Point,  and  several  acres  of 
wild  orange-trees  had  been  budded  with  the 
sweet  fruit ; the  “ little  leaven  ” that  was  to 
leaven  the  great  forest.  For  boys  who  live 
in  Florida  soon  learn  that  a sour  orange-tree, 
a natural,  wild  growth,  is  easily  converted  into 
a sweet  one  by  budding  it  with  the  latter. 

Uncle  James  had  come  to  Florida  two  years 
before  the  others,  and,  therefore,  as  the  boys 
said,  “ had  got  the  start  of  them.”  By  the  time 
the  wharf  was  ready,  — there  were  piles  to  be 


32 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


driven,  and  the  timber  for  them  was  still  a 
part  of  the  forest,  — there  would  be  a crop  of 
oranges  ready  to  ship  from  the  new  grove. 

The  boys  were  intensely  interested  ; not  so 
much  in  the  appearance  of  the  fruit,  as  in  the 
disappearance  of  the  hammock. 

“ Uncle  is  clearing  up  all  the  hammock  land 
on  his  place,”  said  James.  “ Mr.  J’iner  says 


there  won’t  be  a bar  left  in  the  country  if  the 
swammocks  are  cleared  up.” 

The  Mate  dropped  her  great-grandmother’s 
knife  and  fork  upon  her  plate  with  a great 
clatter. 

“ A what  ? ” she  demanded,  the  twinkle  in 
her  eye  contradicting  the  frown  on  her  brow. 

“ Now  you’ve  done  it,”  laughed  Jack.  “ There 


COL  ALTO,  INDIANS,  BIJOU.  33 

are  lots  of  bears  left  yet,  mother.  We  are  going 
out  hunting  next  week,  after  our  things  come. 
Mr.  J’iner  says  there  are  lots  of  varmints  left. 
His  wife  ketched  one  in  a trap  last  week.” 

The  Mate  dropped  her  hands  in  her  lap  and 
laughed. 

“ Oh,  you  are  three  little  Crackers,”  said  she. 
“ Why  is  it  that  boys  alway  pick  up  the  objec- 
tionable, Captain,  can  you  tell  ? ” 

“‘Human  natur,’  as  J’iner  would  say,” 
growled  the  Captain,  under  his  beard. 

“ Well,”  said  the  Mate,  “ though  I don’t  like 
to  admit  it,  I will  have  to  own  that  I have  here 
three  Crackers.  And  Crackers  they  are  until 
they  learn  good  old  Alabama  grammar.  Joe 
is  my  big  Cracker,  Jim  is  the  middle  Cracker, 
and  Jack  is  the  little  Cracker.  Now  that  we  all 
understand  how  the  matter  stands,  we  will  not 
have  our  nerves  shocked  with  ‘ b’ars,’  and  ‘ var- 
mints,’ and  ‘ p’ints,’  and  the  ‘ ketchin’  ’ of  wild 
animals.  We  will  just  remember  that  it’s  only 
a trio  of  little  Cracker  children  talking  to  us, 
and  since  they  know  no  better  we  will  try  to 
expect  no  better.” 

The  Captain  laughed  at  the  look  of  dismay 
on  the  faces  of  the  boys ; the  Mate,  too,  had  a 
twinkle  in  her  eye,  but  to  the  boys  it  seemed 


34 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


rather  a serious  thing  to  be  labelled  “ a Florida 
Cracker”  at  the  beginning  of  their  venture. 
But  labelled  they  were ; from  that  moment  the 
Captain  and  his  wife  spoke  to  them  and  of 
them  as  the  three  little  Crackers ; and,  after 
awhile,  Uncle  James  heard  about  it,  and  soon 
he  began  to  call  them  so,  too;  and  one  day, 
when  the  Mate  received  a letter  from  far-away 
Alabama,  and  the  writer  of  it  said,  “ Give  my 
love  to  the  three  little  Crackers,”  then  the  boys 
knew  the  secret  was  out.  “ All  over  the 
world,”  the  big  Cracker  said,  since  Aunt  Lizzie 
knew  about  it.  Though  the  little  Cracker 
“ reckoned  old  Alabama  war’n’t  everything,  if 
Aunt  Lizzie  did  live  there,”  while  the  middle 
Cracker  “allowed,”  as  Mr.  Joiner  expressed  it, 
“in  and  about  the  best  thing  to  do  was  to 
make  the  best  of  a bad  bargain.”  A way  the 
dear  little  Cracker  No.  2 had  of  accepting 
unpleasant  things ; and  it  was  this  same  trait, 
“ making  the  best  of  it,”  that  made  for  him  a 
place  in  this  little  book,  by  the  side  of  the 
boy  who  always  rushed  into  things,  and  the  boy 
who  was  always  ready  to  run  away  from  the 
unpleasant. 

But  all  this  will  come  in,  by  and  by,  and 
has  nothing  to  do  with  the  talk  at  the  supper- 


COL  ALTO,  INDIANS,  BIJOU.  35 

table  that  night,  upon  which  the  Crackers 
received  their  name. 

Despite  the  chat  and  the  jokes,  the  Captain 
felt  uneasy.  The  household  goods  had  not  ar- 
rived, and  the  scouts,  who  went  out  to  look  for 
the  wagons  the  day  before,  had  failed  to  put  in 
an  appearance.  There  were  Indians  along  the 
road  they  were  to  travel,  — friendly,  ’tis  true, 
but  not  too  honest.  Old  Tiger  Tail  had  his 
camp  at  Okahumpka  there,  and  while  the  old 
chief  was  honorable  enough,  there  were  always 
sneaks  among  the  redskins.  The  wagons 
must  come  directly  through  Okahumpka,  and 
should  have  passed  that  village  several  days 
before. 

“ It  is  the  horses  that  may  tempt  them,”  said 
the  Captain.  “ They  would  not  dare  molest 
my  men,  unless  it  be  to  secure  the  horses.  An 
Indian  will  risk  his  scalp  any  day  for  a good 
horse.” 

“ If  they  bother  Bijou  I’ll  have  them  arrested 
for  horse  thieves,”  said  the  little  Cracker,  ready 
to  rush  to  the  rescue  of  his  pony,  the  tricky, 
but  gentle  Bijou. 

The  Mate  laughed. 

“ Who  is  to  arrest  anybody  in  this  wilder- 
ness, I should  like  to  know.  No,  little  Cracker, 


36  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

you  are  perfectly  helpless  to  prevent  it,  should 
a covetous  redskin  be  seized  with  a desire  to 
possess  your  pony.  Unless  you  should  appeal 
to  old  Tiger  Tail  himself,  and  I doubt  if  he 
could  find  the  thief.  Captain,  you  don’t  think 
the  men  could  have  lost  the  road  ? ” 

“ No,”  replied  the  Captain.  “ Roads  are  too 
scarce  in  this  county  to  ever  offer  a danger 
like  that.  Couldn’t  miss  it;  that  is  what 
makes  me  uneasy.” 

“And  Bijou,”  Jack  was  thinking.  “If  an 
Indian  wants  him,  he  has  only  to  nab  him. 
And  he  is  off  out  there  in  the  woods  where 
they  are.  And  of  course  they  want  him ; who 
wouldn’t  want  Bijou  ? ” 

He  thought  about  it  during  the  next  hour 
constantly.  Try  as  he  would,  he  could  not  get 
his  mind  away  from  the  ugly  danger — that 
seemed  to  grow  more  ugly  and  more  threaten- 
ing the  more  he  thought  about  it  — threatening 
his  pet. 

He  did  not  heed,  if  he  even  heard,  his 
mother’s  plans  for  the  new  home.  The  ham- 
mock was  to  be  cleared  away  between  the 
house  and  the  lake,  giving  a full  view  of  the 
blue,  sun-kissed  water  that  stretched  for  nearly 
fifteen  miles  beyond  the  bluff,  upon  which,  by 


COL  ALTO,  INDIANS,  BIJOU.  37 

and  by,  the  new  house  was  to  be  erected,  if 
all  went  well  with  them  in  the  land  of  flowers. 

Until  then,  the  cleared  space  was  to  be  an 
orange  grove ; though  there  was  to  be  a wharf, 
and  two  rowboats  for  the  boys,  and,  by  and  by , 
with  the  new  house,  there  was  to  be  a yacht 
for  the  Mate. 

The  present  house  stood  upon  a great  hill, 
at  its  highest  point,  that  went  down  in  a grace- 
ful slope  to  the  bluff  that  marked  the  site  of 
the  future  home. 

“ Mother,”  said  the  big  Cracker,  “ isn’t  the 
bluff  of  sand  ? ” 

“ Yes,”  replied  the  Mate,  “ all  Florida’s  sand.” 

“ Except  the  part  that  is  sand  -spurs,"  said  the 
middle  Cracker,  at  which  all  joined  in  a laugh, 
except  the  little  Cracker,  who  was  busy  trying 
to  devise  a means  of  rescuing  Bijou  from  the 
followers  of  old  Tiger  Tail,  the  Indian  chief, 
located  at  the  village  of  Okahumpka.  Jack 
heard  neither  the  plans,  nor  his  brother’s  bit 
of  wit. 

“ Well,  mother,”  Joe  went  on  to  say,  “ain’t 
you  rather  building  your  new  house,  then,  on 
the  sand  ? ” 

“‘Ain't'  I?”  said  the  Mate.  “No,  big 
Cracker,  it  is  not  built  on  sand,  but  on  — ” 


38 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


“ Air,”  chimed  in  the  middle  Cracker. 

“ Kaolin,”  said  the  Mate.  “ Kaolin  that  will 
one  day  be  shipped  to  England’s  china  manu- 
factories, I tell  you ; and  then  we  shall  be 
rich.” 

“ Another  castle  built  on  air,”  laughed  the 
Captain,  as  he  passed  his  cup  back  to  be  filled 
with  coffee. 

“ Built  on  kaolin,  you  mean,”  said  the  Mate. 
And  it  was  just  at  this  juncture  the  little 
Cracker  dropped  his  fork  and  shouted : 

“/know!  / know  how  we  can  do.  Won’t 
you,  Joe  ? Won’t  you  ? And  James  ? ” 

The  Mate  set  the  Captain’s  cup  aside,  and 
said,  “ W-e-l-l ! ” in  a most  surprised  tone, 
while  the  Captain  dropped  the  hot  waffle  he 
was  lifting  to  his  plate  into  his  lap,  instead. 
The  two  older  Crackers  stopped  operations  upon 
hot  biscuit  and  Florida  syrup  to  inquire,  with 
their  eyes,  if  the  little  Cracker  had  suddenly 
wakened  out  of  a very  bad  dream. 

It  was  the  Captain  who  finally  inquired : 

“ What  is  it,  Jack  ? Are  you  dreaming?  ” 

“ No,  sir,”  replied  the  little  Cracker.  “ I 
wasn’t  asleep.  I only  just  furgittened  to  ricker- 
lict  what  I ware  a-doin’  uv.” 

At  this  unexpected  burst  of  Cracker  elo- 


COL  ALTO,  INDIANS,  BIJOU.  39 

quence,  the  Mate  arose  at  once  and  dismissed 
the  company.  This  mattered  little  to  the  boys, 
however,  since  they  had  “ eaten  as  much  syrup 
and  biscuit  as  they  could  furnish  storage  for,”  so 
said  the  Mate,  and  there  never  was  a boy  yet 
who  cared  to  sit  at  the  table  when  the  storage 
was  all  taken. 

Moreover,  that  mysterious  outbreak  of  Jack’s 
impressed  them  oddly.  Something  lay  behind 
it  all.  Jack  was  a great  schemer,  and  evidently 
there  was  a scheme  on  hand.  They  had  great 
respect  for  the  little  Cracker,  whose  busy  brain 
was  ever  devising  some  rare  adventure  such  as 
boys  delight  in. 

“Jack  ought  to  have  lived  in  the  time  of 
Daniel  Boone  and  belonged  to  his  band,”  James 
thought;  though  Joe  insisted  he  “ought  to 
have  followed  Old  Hickory  against  the  red- 
skins,” and  both  felt  sure  it  was  all  owing  to 
his  name,  Andrew  Jackson,  that  Jack  “ thought 
up  so  many  brave  things.” 

Anyhow,  Jack  was  the  proper  stuff  for 
a pioneer,  and  they  felt  sure  he  would 
“ show  Florida  some  things  before  he  let  her 
g°-” 

So,  upon  leaving  the  dining-room,  the  two 
older  Crackers  sought  their  brother,  who  had 


40 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


gone  out  to  the  shed  at  the  back  door  to  give 
Jacko  his  supper. 

“Say,  Jack,”  said  Joe,  “what  is  it  you’re 
going  to  do?  Hunt  gophers  or  salaman- 
ders ? ” 

“Gophers!”  sneered  Jack.  “What  do  I 

want  with  go- 
pher tortoise? 
Mother  makes 
the  soup,  I don’t. 
And  I ain’t  going 
to  hunt  salaman- 
ders, either.  It 
ain’t  any  of  these, 
— it  s Indians  ! ” 
“Indians  ? ” 
cried  the  others. 
“ Whyyoucan’t.” 
“ Why  can’t  I ? 
I’ve  got  a gun, 
and  plenty  of 
shot,  and  it’s  night,  and  they  don  t know  I 
am  on  their  trail.  Besides,  it  ain  t Indians, 
exactly,  it’s  Bijou.  I’m  going  to  look  for 
Bijou.  I don’t  say  the  Indians  have  got  him, 
but,  if  they  have,  they’ve  got  to  give  him  up, 
whether  old  Tiger  Tail  makes  them  or  not.” 


COL  ALTO,  INDIANS,  BIJOU.  4 1 

“ When  are  you  going  ? ” said  the  big 
Cracker,  full  of  the  great  scheme  that  re- 
flected so  much  of  the  old  hero  for  whom 
his  youngest  brother  had  been  called. 

“Right  now;  to-night,”  said  Jack.  “Soon’s 
I can  load  up  and  fix.” 

There  was  a slight  hesitation,  very  slight, 
however,  on  the  part  of  the  middle  Cracker. 

“ I don’t  think  mother  would  qiiite  like  to  let 
us,”  he  faltered. 

“If  you’re  afraid,  stay  at  home,”  said  Jack. 
“ We’re,  Joe  and  I,  going  to  wait  till  every- 
body is  asleep,  so  as  not  to  make  mother 
uneasy,  and  then  take  our  guns,  and  slip  off 
in  the  moonlight.  It  is  bright  as  day  these 
nights,  — just  the  nights  for  spying  Indians.” 

“ Besides,”  said  Joe,  “ I don’t  believe 
mother  would  care.  She  said  we  were  to 
be  pioneers,  and  learn  to  shoot,  and  ride,  and 
to  protect  ourselves  and  her.  She  hates  a 
coward, — I’ve  heard  her  say  so  dozens  of 
times.  If  we  are  brave  enough  to  fight 
Indians  who  steal  our  horses,  and  murder 
our  hands  that  father  brought  from  Alabama, 
she  wouldn’t  try  to  keep  us  from  it.  I know 
mother.” 

“Yes,  we  know  mother,”  said  Jack,  “and 


42 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


we  know  ourselves,  Joe  and  I do,  and  we 
are  going  off  to  rescue  Bijou  and  the  men.” 
“ Suppose  — we  get  lost  ? ” said  James,  yield- 
ing at  last  to  the  thrilling  temptation, — for 
what  boy  hasn’t  been  fired  with  a desire  to 
fight  Indians  at  some  time  in  his  life?  To  be 
sure,  they  were  farther  removed  than  were 
these  against  whom  the  three  daring  little 
Crackers  were  planning  a crusade,  yet  they 
doubtless  seemed  very  near  and  very  real  to 
the  readers  of  Fenimore  Cooper,  and  the 
lovers  of  old  Kit  Carson.  “ Suppose  we  get 
lost  in  the  hammock  somewhere  ? ” 

“ Can’t,”  said  Jack.  “ Didn’t  you  hear  father 
say  how  plain  the  road  was  ? ” 

“ Boys ! ” the  Mate  opened  the  door  and 
called.  The  silence  which  followed  their 
“Yes,  mother,”  might  have  argued  their  con- 
sciences were  not  altogether  as  satisfied  upon 
the  subject  of  their  mother’s  approval  of  the 
plan  on  foot,  as  their  nimble  tongues  and 
boyish  fancies  would  have  made  believe. 

“ Boys,  bring  Polly  in,  and  see  that  there  is 
wood  in  the  kitchen  for  morning.  And  don't 
forget  the  water.  Remember,  mother  is  cook 
until  the  wagons  come.” 

They  went  about  their  duties  cheerfully, 


COL  ALTO,  INDIANS,  BIJOU.  43 

and  with  alacrity,  and,  when  all  was  ready,  and 
the  clock  in  the  Mate’s  room  had  struck  eight, 
they  crept  away  to  their  beds,  their  plans  all 
perfected,  to  wait  until  the  father  and  mother 
should  fall  asleep  before  starting  out  upon 
their  raid  against  the  Indians. 

True,  there  was  no  danger  to  be  appre- 
hended in  that  line,  though  there  were  dan- 
gers, frightful  and  unseen,  threatening  the 
little  adventurers,  who,  as  yet,  were  strangers 
to  the  wild  Florida  forest  and  its  inhabitants. 


4 


CHAPTER  III. 

ADVENTURES  AND  A RESCUE. 

The  Captain  seemed  unusually  wide-awake 
that  night,  the  three  boys  in  the  big  room 
joining  the  sitting-room  thought. 

And  the  Mate  had  fallen  asleep  in  her  chair 
(they  could  see  her  through  the  open  door,  by 
stretching  their  bodies  as  far  out  of  bed  as 
possible)  three  different  times,  and  each  time 
had  awakened  with  a little  low  laugh  to  tell 
some  joke  upon  some  one  of  the  three  little 
Crackers. 

“ Captain,”  she  roused  up  once  to  say, 
“ those  boys  remind  me  of  a bric-a-brac  col- 
lector, in  the  way  they  pick  up  odd  bits  of 
English,  if  it  be  English.  I heard  the  wee 
Cracker,  to-day,  telling  how  many  deer  Mr. 
Bus  Joiner  had  ‘skint.’  And  the  middle 
Cracker  told  of  a bear  that  ‘ clomb  the  pal- 
metto-trees, and  et  up  the  palmetto  cabbages.’ 
While  Joe,  to  crown  the  list  of  wonders, 


44 


ADVENTURES  AND  A RESCUE.  45 

declared  that  ‘ if  the  Governor  of  Alabama 
should  ever  drop  in  on  us  here  like  he  used  to 
do  in  Alabama  and  challenge  father  to  a hunt, 
he  meant  to  bet  him  he  couldn’t  shoot  wild 
ducks  on  the  flew  to  the  equal  of  Bus  Joiner, 
who  shot  ’em  on  the  flew  easy  as  nothing.’  ” 


The  Captain  laughed ; he  knew  the  Mate 
would,  by  and  by,  straighten  out  the  English, 
and  it  was  funny  to  hear  the  little  Crackers 
experiment  with  the  dialect  of  Mr.  Joiner. 

The  Captain  went  on  with  his  reading ; for 
there  was  but  one  boat  each  week,  and  the 


46 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


steamer  that  came  that  day  had  brought  in  a 
packet  of  papers  and  letters. 

The  steamer  came  up  the  Ocklawaha  from 
Jacksonville,  and  they  must  rely  upon  this  for 
everything  until,  so  the  Mate  said,  the  railroad 
came ; or  else  the  orange  trade  should  become 
heavy  enough  to  demand  a daily  steamer  by 
which  to  ship  the  fruit. 

Another  castle,  the  Captain  said  ; buthe,  too, 
had  built  great  hopes  upon  this  castle,  as  well 
as  the  Mate,  who  had  fallen  to  nodding  again 
while  the  Captain  read. 

Suddenly  she  started  up. 

“ Did  you  hear  anything  ? ” she  asked.  “ Any- 
thing moving  in  the  boys’  room  ? ” 

The  Captain  listened  a moment. 

“ No,”  said  he.  “ All  seems  to  be  quiet  in 
there.” 

“ I thought  I heard  moving,”  said  the  Mate. 
“ Cautious  moving,  as  of  some  one  carefully 
trying  to  walk  about  without  being  heard. 
The  boys  are  asleep,  I suppose  ? ” 

“ Long  ago,”  said  the  Captain.  “ What 
could  keep  their  tongues  still  beside  ? And 
I believe  I shall  follow  their  example.  I am 
tired  out  with  rooting  up  palmetto  sprouts.” 
The  Captain  was  true  to  his  word ; in  a 


ADVENTURES  AND  A RESCUE. 


47 


little  while  he  was  fast  asleep,  and  the  last 
light  in  the  log  house  on  the  hill  had  ceased 
to  shine. 

But  the  Mate  could  not  sleep ; the  drowsi- 
ness that  had  caused  her  to  nod  in  the  bm 

O 

armchair  was  all  gone.  That  sound  of  cau- 
tious, bare,  or  muffled  footsteps  heard  in  the 
boys’  room  still  disturbed  her  thoughts  and 
drove  sleep  from  her  eyelids.  She  attempted 
in  vain  to  reason  herself  into  content  and  quiet 
again. 

“They  are  good  boys,”  she  told  herself; 
“ they  would  not  be  guilty  of  any  disobedient 
or  unmanly  tricks.” 

But  this  did  not  bring  sleep.  Finally  she 
arose  and  went  to  the  window,  for,  although 
the  month  was  January,  the  weather  was  warm, 
and  the  window  — secured  against  the  armies 
of  blind  mosquitoes  that  inhabit  the  lake 
regions  — stood  wide  open. 

Below,  beyond  the  clearing  just  made  in  the 
hammock,  stretched  the  quiet  waters  of  the 
lake ; the  lake  that  in  the  daylight  responded 
to  each  touch  of  sunshine  by  ten  thousand 
thousand  sparkling  dimples. 

In  the  soft  light  of  the  moon  its  beauty  was 
no  less  perfect,  only  that  it  was  a gentle,  sub- 


48  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

dued  beauty,  like  the  beauty  of  some  people 
who  have  grappled  with  life’s  misfortunes  until 
the  struggle  has  made  their  faces  strong,  and 
calm,  and  confident;  the  very  best  of  all 
beauty. 

It  had  a melancholy  about  it,  too,  — that  still, 
moon-mellowed  water.  Beyond  it  was  her  old 
home,  her  kindred,  her  first  friends.  Then  it 
set  her  thinking  of  another  vast  stream  that 
rolled  between  her  and  that  other  home ; the 
last  home  she  would  sail  away  to  when  done 
with  all  earthly  dwellings. 

Thinking  of  these  things,  she  forgot  her 
uneasiness,  and  when  she  crept  back  to  the 
Captain’s  side  at  last,  it  was  to  drop  into  a 
quiet  sleep,  dreamless  and  undisturbed. 

Meanwhile,  where  were  the  three  little 
Crackers,  and  what  were  they  about  ? 

After  waiting  as  long  and  as  patiently  as 
they  considered  it  possible  to  wait,  they  de- 
cided, in  whispers,  to  steal  out  at  the  back 
door  while  their  parents  were  still  awake.  Joe 
had  taken  the  leadership  now,  as  was  usually 
the  case.  It  was  Jack  who  suggested  or  con- 
ceived the  wonderful  adventures,  Joe  who 
executed,  to  a certain  extent,  and  then  it  fell 
to  James  to  take  matters  in  hand,  and  either 


ADVENTURES  AND  A RESCUE. 


49 


push  them  safely  through  or  else  to  engineer  a 
wise  retreat. 

The  first  thing  to  be  clone  was  to  set  the 
door  ajar.  The  doors  were  never  locked  at 
night,  so  there  were  no  qualms  of  conscience 
as  to  subjecting  their  parents  to  any  danger 
through  leaving  them  open.  The  guns  were 
set  carefully  outside,  propped  against  the  cabin 
wall. 

The  Crackers  made  their  other  simple  prep- 
arations hastily  and  noiselessly.  Joe  tiptoed 
in  his  bare  feet  to  the  chair  of  clothes,  and 
tossed  two  suits  to  the  two  boys  in  bed.  They 
slipped  into  these  without  leaving  the  bed, 
while  Joe  was  getting  into  his,  after  having 
carried  three  pairs  of  shoes  and  stockings  to 
a place  of  convenience  beside  the  door  where 
they  could  seize  them  in  passing,  and  put  them 
on  when  they  were  safe  on  their  journey.  It 
was  the  scraping  of  James’s  shoes  against  the 
door,  as  the  owner  went  out  with  them  in  his 
hand,  that  had  reached  Mrs.  Parish’s  ear,  and 
well-nigh  upset  their  plans,  spoiling  the  whole 
adventure. 

At  last,  however,  they  were  out;  the  moon 
shone  bright  enough;  a typical  night,  as  Jack 
had  said,  “ for  spying  Indians,”  provided  the 


50 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


Indians  were  not  disposed  to  a similar  amuse- 
ment. 

Below  them,  like  a sea  of  silver,  lay  the  lake, 
with  that  one  clearing,  made  by  their  father’s 
men,  opening  to  the  white  kaolin  shore. 
Around  them  closed  the  hammock  lands:-  a 
gray  wall  of  forest,  with  the  gray  moss,  wrapped 
from  tree  to  tree,  and  from  bough  to  bough, 
swaying  lightly  in  the  soft  lake  breeze,  until  it 
appeared  as  if  the  entire  forest  were  gently 
rocking  itself  to  rest  in  the  night  wind. 

Directly  through  this  jungle  ran  a long, 
straight  road,  the  only  opening  to  be  seen. 

“Father  was  right,”  said  Joe:  “there’s  no 
mistaking  the  road.” 

“ But  I wish  it  didn’t  go  through  that ,”  said 
James,  indicating  the  hammock;  “it  looks  too 
wildcatty  to  suit  my  taste.” 

“ Will  you  hush?  ” exclaimed  Joe.  “ If  you 
expect  to  find  thieving  Indians  stretched  out 
in  the  moonlight  waiting  to  be  scalped,  you’ll 
find  yourself  on  a mighty  cold  trail,  as  Mr. 
Joiner  says.  We’ve  got  to  plow  right  through 
that  hammock,  and  we  don’t  want  any  wildcat 
tales  to  help  us  on.” 

“ S’pose  one  should  come,  anyhow?”  said 
Jack,  who,  having  donned  his  shoes  and  stock- 


ADVENTURES  AND  A RESCUE. 


51 


in£s,  began  to  feel  that  the  real  adventure  was 
now  truly  close  upon  them. 

Joe  interpreted  the  suggestion  to  mean  an 
ebbing  of  courage,  so  he  said,  slyly : 

“ Well,  if  it  does,  I’m  afraid  poor  Bijou  will 
be  et  up  before  we  can  get  there.” 

Jack’s  courage  came  bounding  back  on  the 
instant,  for  Bijou  was  his  own  special  property. 

“ Oh,  hurry  up  ! ” he  exclaimed.  “ I’m  not 
afraid  of  a little  woods-lot  like  this.  Joe! 
James!  Do  come  on  and  save  poor  Bijou.” 
And,  following  Jack’s  lead,  they  entered  the 
hammock,  each  Cracker  grasping  his  small 
gun  firmly,  and  each  Cracker  ready  to  die  for 
his  sake  on  the  instant.  At  least,  each  one 
thought  so. 

“It’s  awfully  still,”  said  Jack;  “seems  like 
you  could  hear  our  feet  a mile  off.” 

“Don’t  talk,”  said  Joe;  “it  might  make  — 
might  scare  the  Indians  off.” 

For  a few  minutes  there  was  silence,  save 
for  the  almost  inaudible  sound  of  their  feet 
sinking  into  the  soft,  white  sand,  — the  sound 
which  “ might  be  heard  a mile  off.” 

“ I wish  we  had  brought  Mr.  Bus  J’iner 
along,”  said  James.  “ He  likes  to  hunt  In- 
dians, I reckon,  for  I asked  him  yesterday  if 


52 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


he  did,  and  he  said  he  ‘ ain’t  jist  p’intedly 
ever  fit  any,  so  to  speak,  but  he  liked  to  hunt 
better’n  pizen.’  ” 

“ Maybe  he’s  out  in  the  woods  somewhere 
now,”  said  the  big  Cracker.  And  the  sugges- 
tion gave  new  courage  to  his  followers,  as  he 
had  intended  it  should.  Silence  again.  Then 
Jack,  inconsistent  little  Cracker  that  he  was, 
spoiled,  absolutely  wrecked,  the  entire  adven- 
ture, robbing  it  utterly  of  its  glory  by  saying : 
“ I wonder  what  mother  is  doing  right 
now  ? ” 

“Didn’t  I tell  you  not  to  talk?”  said  Joe. 
“ Maybe  you  want  Bijou  et  up  by  Indians.” 
Nobody  spoke  after  that,  for  more  than 
half  an  hour.  Yet,  though  they  tramped 
on  bravely  to  all  appearances,  in  each  little 
Cracker’s  heart  there  was  a thought  which 
neither  their  ambition  to  shine  as  heroes,  nor 
their  affection  for  the  endangered  Bijou  could 
put  aside : 

“ What  is  mother  doing  ? ” 

One  of  life’s  great  lessons  had  come  to  them 
there  in  the  wilderness,  thoughtless  little  wan- 
derers, had  they  but  known  it.  It  is  not  what 
we  ourselves  suffer  at  the  moment  of  our 
keenest  sorrow  that  makes  it  so  hard  to  bear; 


THE  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS  STARTED  OUT  TO  HUNT 
INDIANS. 


ADVENTURES  AND  A RESCUE. 


55 


among  different 


but  it  is  the  reflection  that,  but  for  some 
careless  or  sinful  act  of  our  own,  we  might, 
and  happier  surroundings, 
be  with  those  we  love. 

The  three  little 
Crackers  tramped  on  in 
silence.  Suddenly  they 
stopped  still,  each  heart 
o-ave  a bound,  and  each 
un  was  utterly  forgot- 
ten as  a wild,  shrill  cry 


arose 
on  the 

night,  from  the 
jungle  upon 
their  left. 

Once,  twice, 
and  three  times ! 

And  then  every 

single  one  of  them  broke  and  ran  before  the 

O 


awful  cry  of  “ Wildcats  ! ” 

Without  thinking  of  their  course,  they  had, 


56 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


however,  run  forward,  possibly  because  the 
cat  had  cried  from  the  brake  slightly  in  their 
rear. 

It  was  James  who  finally  restored  something 
like  order  in  the  ranks,  but  it  was  when  they 
were  beyond  the  sound  of  the  hungry  cat’s 
voice. 

The  boys  were  willing  enough  to  turn  back, 
but  they  were  not  willing  to  pass  that  jungle. 
Joe  was  for  breaking  a way  around  to  the  lake, 
and  following  that  until  they  reached  home. 

“ That  means  to  get  lost,”  said  James. 
“We’ll  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  Besides,  we 
couldn’t  get  through  to  save  our  lives.  I 
tried  it  with  Mr.  J’iner.  He  says  ‘no  man 
living  can  get  through  a Florida  hammock 
without  an  axe.’  No,  sir,  we’re  in  it,  we’ve 
got  to  make  the  best  of  it.  We’ve  got  to 
either  stay  here,  press  on,  or  turn  back. 
There’s  no  sense  staying  here  to  be  et  up 
by  wildcats.” 

“ Don’t  talk,”  said  Joe,  softly. 

“I  will  talk,”  declared  the  middle  Cracker; 
“it’s  talking  keeps  off  scare,  anyhow.  There's 
no  sense  staying  here,  /ain’t  going  back  that 
road  until  Miss  Cat  has  had  her  breakfast. 
Jack,  are  you  whimpering?  Well,  you  sit  here 


ADVENTURES  AND  A RESCUE.  57 

and  cry,  while  I go  on  and  save  Bijou.  Maybe 
I can  do  it  by  myself.” 

And  then  the  adventure  passed,  as  usual, 
into  James’s  hands.  When  James  set  about 
“ making  the  best  of  things,”  the  others  always 
retired  into  the  ranks  of  the  privates. 

He  began  by,  as  he  expressed  it,  “ setting  up 
a tune.”  That  is  to  say,  he  whistled, , that  boy- 
ish dodge  for  fear,  and  anger,  and  heartache. 
God  bless  the  boy  who  can  stifle  his  wrongs 
and  unrest’  in  an  innocent,  cheery  whistle  ! 

The  others  could  only  stare  in  amazement 
while  they  listened.  It  seemed  such  a daring 
thing  to  do,  as  if  inviting  all  the  wild  things 
of  the  forest  to  an  attack. 

They  tramped  on  this  way  for  about  a 
quarter  of  a mile  farther,  each  Cracker  grasp- 
ing his  gun  firmly  once  more,  and  each  ready 
to  run  at  the  word  boo  ! 

Then  the  leader  stopped, — among  the  pal- 
mettoes  there  was  a commotion  of  some  strange 
description.  Something  was  ripping  away  the 
leaves  and  bark,  to  an  accompaniment  of  a 
low,  delighted  growl. 

“Bear,”  said  Joe;  “he  is  getting  the  pal- 
metto cabbage.” 

O 

“Easy,  now,”  commanded  James;  “the  cab- 


58 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


bage  may  satisfy  him,  and  it  may  not.  You 
may  tip  it  through  here.” 

But  they  found  it  necessary  to  “ tip  it  ” 
farther  than  they  had  expected,  for  ever  and 
anon  the  sound  of  the  ripping  away  of  bark 
came  to  them  as  they  passed  near  a group  of 
palmettoes. 

At  last  the  moon  disappeared,  and  then, 
indeed,  the  full  significance  of  their  adventure 
dawned  upon  them. 

“ If  we  could  only  get  to  the  opening  before 
it  is  entirely  dark,”  said  James,  “there  will  not 
be  any  danger,  except  from  Indians.  And  if 
they  attack  us  we  can’t  treat  them  like  we  did 
the  cat,  — we’ve  got  to  fight'.' 

They  did  reach  the  opening  while  there  was 
a glimmer  of  moonlight.  Before  them  lay  a 
stretch  of  open  marsh-land,  from  the  centre  of 
which  came  the  uncertain  glimmer  of  water. 
A lakelet,  they  supposed  it  to  be,  but  Mr.  Bus 
Joiner  had  told  them  so  much  of  the  dangers 
that  clustered  about  these  beautiful  but  treach- 
erous pools,  they  decided  not  to  venture  any 
nearer,  but  to  remain  where  they  were  until 
daylight. 

This  was  easier  said  than  done,  for  behind 
them,  in  the  dreadful  hammock,  they  could  still 


ADVENTURES  AND  A RESCUE.  59 

“ hear  sounds,”  which  they  did  not  dare  to 
interpret. 

They  spoke  in  whispers,  resolved  upon  but 
one  thing  surely : if  a bear  should  attack  them, 
they  meant  to  kill  it. 

Day  was  breaking  when  a noise  overhead 
caused  them  to  look  up. 

From  the  top  of  an  oak-tree,  which  had  prob- 
ably been  a storehouse  for  wild  bees,  coming- 
straight  at  them,  with  business  in  every  move- 
ment, they  saw  an  ugly,  full-grown  she  bear. 

There  was  consternation  indeed.  Jack 
dropped  his  gun  and  showed,  distinctly 
showed,  flight.  James  was  the  first  to  grasp 
the  situation  fully,  and  his  well-balanced  brain 
responded  at  once  to  the  necessity  of  action. 
He  grasped  his  own  weapon  a trifle  more 
firmly,  and,  turning  to  Jack,  said,  with  a great 
show  of  authority,  pointing  to  the  gun : 

“ Pick  it  up ! ” 

Which  order  was  promptly  obeyed. 

“ Now,”  continued  James,  “when  she  starts 
towards  us  don’t  anybody  shoot  but  Joe.  Joe 
is  our  best  shot.  Hit  her  in  the  eye,  Joe,  then 
I’ll  follow  if  you  should  miss  her.  Then  Jack 
can  come.  All  ready  there  ! There  she  comes  ! 
Joe,  why  — don’t  — you  shoot?” 


6o 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


And  then,  as  the  bear  turned  towards  them, 
with  a half  grinning  “ good  morning,  break- 
fast,” in  her  face,  the  three  Crackers  dropped 
their  guns  and  took  to  their  heels,  while  the 
bear  trotted  lazily  back  into  the  hammock. 

Verily,  the  boys  ran  as  for  their  lives. 
They  ran  with  such  vehemence  and  with  such 
energy  that  they  almost  ran  into  a small  caravan 
that  was  headed  towards  the  hammock  through 
which  they  had  made  their  night  march. 

The  caravan  had  evidently  stopped  for 
breakfast  beside  the  lakelet,  though  in  the 
uncertain  light  the  boys  noticed  nothing 
except  that  there  were  men,  Indians,  perhaps, 
in  the  crowd. 

“Down  in  the  grass !”  commanded  James; 
“ that’s  the  way  to  fight  Indians,  always.  We’ll 
have  to  snake  it  back  to  our  guns  and  then  fight.  ’ 

“ Where’s  the  grass  ? ” laughed  Jack.  “ Oh, 
but  you’re  a dandy  fighter  not  to  know  our  ” 
(Jack  had  heard  a familiar  sound  coming  from 
the  group  of  supposed  savages)  “ Bijou  from  a 
horrid  redskin ! ” 

And,  with  a shout,  the  adventurers  rushed 
upon  the  caravan,  where,  indeed,  pretty  Bijou, 
the  beloved  pony,  safe  from  Indian  malice,  was 
waiting;  to  welcome  his  master. 

O 


CHAPTER  IV. 

VISITORS  : CRACKER  VS.  CRACKER. 

Affairs  were  progressing  satisfactorily  and 
pleasantly  at  Col  Alto.  The  weather  was 
delightful,  “ delicious,”  the  Mate  said,  and  in 
the  cabin  on  the  hill  there  was  an  air  of  home 
already,  now  that  the  household  furniture  had 
arrived ; there  was  a cow  in  the  stable,  a 
wagon  under  the  shed,  two  mules  in  the  field, 
two  rowboats  on  the  lake,  Bijou  in  his  stall, 
and  plenty  of  hands  in  “ the  grove.”  For 
already  the  cleared  ground,  that  had  been  a 
hammock  six  months  before,  was  spoken  of 
now  as  “ the  grove.”  A small  lakelet  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill  on  the  south  side,  had  been 
converted  into  a fish-pond.  And  just  beyond 
that,  the  Captain  had  set  his  banana  grove. 

The  Crackers  had  confined  their  adventures 
to  daylight  since  their  crusade  against  the 
Indians,  or  else  in  close  company  with  their 
friend,  Mr.  Joiner,  whose  only  business  in  life 

61 


62 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


seemed  to  be  scouring  the  woods  for  game,  or 
the  palmetto  cabbage,  that  delicious  vegetable, 
free  to  all,  man  and  beast,  who  care  to  have  it, 
or  else  fishing  in  the  lake  for  the  trout  so 
abundant  in  those  waters. 

The  Indian  crusade  was  a sore  subject  with 
the  boys  for  a long  time. 

Somebody  had  written  about  it  to  Alabama, 
for,  in  every  letter  received  from  Aunt  Lizzie, 
inquiry  was  made  as  to  whether  there  had 
been  any  more  “crusades  against  the  Indians,” 
and  she  spoke  for  a “ wampum  belt  ” for  her 
cabinet  of  curiosities,  whenever  the  crusaders 
felt  they  had  enough  to  spare  her  one. 

As  to  who  wrote,  it  wasn’t  possible  to  say. 
They  half  doubted  it  was  their  mother,  for  she 
had  seemed  so  sober  when  the  exploit  had  first 
come  to  light,  and  had  impressed  it  so  soundly 
upon  them  that  anything , adventure  or  ven- 
ture, requiring  such  secrecy  as  theirs  had 
required,  savored , to  say  the  least  of  it,  of 
wrong. 

“ Daylight  is  always  the  best  light  in  which 
to  undertake  doubtful  measures,”  she  told 
them ; and  then  kissed  them  all  around,  and 
went  out  with  them  to  pat  pretty  little  Bijou, 
and  to  drop  a tear  or  two  on  his  white  coat, 


VISITORS  : CRACKER  VS.  CRACKER.  63 

when  nobody  was  looking,  — a tear  for  the 
old  days  in  pleasant  Alabama. 

Then  Mr.  Bus  Joiner  had  had  a word  to  say 
in  regard  to  the  adventure,  when  he  came 
over  the  next  day  to  “fetch  a couple  o’  duck 
meat  ” he  had  “ kilt  on  the  flew,”  and  had 
been  told  of  the  midnight  raid  against  the 
reds. 

“ Stayed  all  night  in  the  swammock,  did 
ye?  Waal,  I’m  proper  glad  a ’gator  didn’t 
get  ye,  or  a painter.  The  swammocks  air 
plumb  swarmin’  with  painters,  an’  catamounts, 
an’  yother  wil’  meat.  Wonder  ye  didn’t  git 
yersives  et  up.  Swammocks  is  fur  varmints, 
not  folkses,  — less’n  they-uns  wants  ter  hunt; 
then  it  be  the  fittenest  place  top  side  o’  crea- 
tion, I reckin.  How  many  Injuns  did  you-alls 
kill,  anyhow  ? ” 

The  Crackers  grew  very  tired  of  the  raid 
before  they  heard  the  last  of  it.  And  it  was 
a long  time  before  they  heard  the  last  of  it, 
there  being  so  little  news,  and  therefore  so 
little  else  to  talk  about. 

But  one  day  it  entered  into  the  brain  of 
“ Mr.  Bus  J’iner”  to  carry  out  a threat  of  some 
standing,  — to  “ fotch  his  fambly  over  fore 
shortly  ” to  pay  them  a visit.  And  the  visit 


64 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


did,  much  to  the  delight  of  the  three  little 
Crackers,  turn  the  tide  of  talk,  for  quite  a 
while,  into  other  channels. 

It  was  one  busy  morning,  when  the  Mate 
was  giving  orders  concerning  the  flower-gar- 


den she  was  about  to  have  laid  off,  and  the 
Crackers  were  waiting  for  William,  the  hired 
boy,  who  had  followed  them  from  Alabama, 
to  take  them  out  upon  the  lake.  William 
was  teaching  them  to  row,  an  accomplish- 


VISITORS  : CRACKER  VS.  CRACKER.  65 

ment  to  which,  the  negro  declared,  they  took 
like  ducks  to  water. 

They  were  impatient  to  be  off,  and,  in  con- 
sequence, were  making  themselves  generally 
unpleasant  company  about  the  place. 

“Uncle  James  promised  to  meet  us  at  the 
Point  at  nine  o’clock,”  said  Joe.  “And  it  is 
already  past  eight.  Mother,  can't  William 
come  now  ? ” 

The  Mate  lifted  her  head  from  the  bed 
she  was  laying  off  with  a slender  little  gar- 
den rake.  There  was  a decided  spirit  in  the 
manner  in  which  the  head  moved,  and  a very 
decided  look  about  the  eyes,  when  once  the 
head  was  well  up.  Then,  on  the  instant, 
the  decided  look  vanished,  and  in  its  stead 
came  one  of  wonder,  not  unmixed  with  mirth, 
while  she  asked,  her  eyes  fixed  upon  the  road : 

“ What  is  it  ? What  on  earth  can  it  be  ? ” 

All  eyes  were  instantly  turned  upon  the  ad- 
vancing wonder.  It  consisted  of  a horse,  a 
long,  lank  claybank,  familiar  to  their  mem- 
ories as  having  helped  them  from  the  landing 
the  day  of  their  arrival,  upon  which  was 
mounted  Mr.  Bus  Joiner.  There  was  a 
familiar  tinkle  of  the  cow-bell,  too,  as  the 
claybank  tossed  her  head. 


66 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


There  was  a new  wagon,  with  “ sure  enough” 
wheels,  but  minus  a bed.  Perched  upon  a pole 
sat  a queer  little  woman,  short,  fat,  and  jolly- 
looking. She  wore  a short  blue  “ kaliker 
coat  ” that  showed  her  feet  and  ankles,  and 
the  “ split  ” sunbonnet  tied  about  her  ears 
did  not  conceal  the  laughing,  good-natured 
face  of  the  Cracker’s  wife. 

I 

There  were  the  two  boys,  Jake  and  Luke, 
perched  upon  some  other  part  of  the  wagon, 
“ wrapped  around  just  like  Jacko,”  the  middle 
Cracker  whispered  Joe,  as  the  boys  began  to 
unwrap , and  the  driver,  or  rider,  called  “ Whoa, 
thar,”  to  the  blind  mare.  He  stepped  cau- 
tiously down  from  the  claybank,  and  the  Mate 
gave  herself  a vigorous  pinch  before  she  went 
down  to  the  gate  to  meet  “ the  family.” 

There  were  two  boys  in  the  family,  — two 
“ wild  goats,”  the  Mate  called  them  after  they 
left,  — and  so  the  trip  on  the  lake  had  to  be 
abandoned  for  that  morning. 

The  Crackers  felt  very  like  rebelling,  but  a 
look  from  the  Mate,  and  a fear  of  offending 
their  old  friend,  who  had  piloted  them  through 
the  “jingles”  and  the  “ swam  mocks,”  and  who 
had  promised  them  further  adventures,  both 
by  land  and  water,  restrained  them. 


visitors:  cracker  vs.  cracker.  67 

While  the  Mate  entertained  Mrs.  Joiner  in 
the  sitting-room,  the  little  Crackers  took  the 
boys  around  the  place  to  see  “ you-allses  things,” 
as  they  had  requested  them  to  do. 

They  had  no  sooner  appeared  at  the  back 
door,  however,  than  Polly  set  up  a cry  of : 

“You’re  a Cracker!  You’re  a Cracker! 
Ha!  ha!  ha!”  And  one  of  the  Joiner  boys 
threw  a lemon  peel  at  her,  striking  her  on 
the  head,  which  so  enraged  the  little  Cracker 
that  he  would  have  rolled  up  his  sleeves  and 
avenged  the  insult  to  Polly  then  and  there  but 
for  James’s  interference. 

“Come  on  away,  Jack,”  said  James;  “you 
can’t  fight  company.” 

“ Then  company  can’t  fight  Polly,”  declared 
the  namesake  of  Old  Hickory.  “ Manners  is 
manners,  and  company  is  company.” 

“Well,  come  on  and  see  the  monkey,”  said 
James,  and  the  quarrel  was  soon  forgotten  in 
the  antics  of  Jacko,  who  grinned  and  chattered, 
and  rubbed  his  stomach,  and  reached  his  long 
arm  out  in  an  effort  to  touch  the  tangle  of  yel- 
low hair  that  crowned  the  heads  of  the  visitors. 

“Kin  hit  bite?”  asked  Jake,  the  oldest  of 
the  Joiners. 

“ Put  your  finger  in  his  mouth  and  see,”  said 


68 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


J ack  ; upon  which  the  little  brown  fingers  were 
extended  towards  the  monkey  with  such  inno- 
cent enjoyment  that  Joe  sprang  forward  and 
jerked  them  away  before  the  delighted  Jacko 
could  touch  them. 

“ Don’t  you  know  any  better  than  that  ? ” he 
demanded.  “ Why,  he’d  make  sausage  meat  of 
you  in  no  tim e,just” 

“ He  felled  me  ter,”  said  the  boy,  pointing  to 
Jack,  who  had  rolled  over  on  the  ground  to 
laugh. 

“Have  to  do  everything  you’re  ‘felled,’  I 
reckon,”  said  Jack.  “Well,  then,  I tell  you  to 
wash  your  hands  when  you  go  home ; they 
need  it.” 

“ Jack,”  said  Joe,  “ if  you  don’t  let  up,  I’ll  tell 
mother.  You  know  these  boys  don’t  know  any 
better.” 

An  apology  which  threatened  to  do  more 
damage  than  Jack’s  advice  had  done,  until 
James  hurried  a second  time  to  the  rescue. 

“ Let’s  go  to  see  Bijou  ! ” he  exclaimed,  as  if 
the  bright  idea  had  but  just  come  to  him,  and 
Bijou’s  stall  had  not  been  from  the  outset  the 
very  point  of  all  interest  towards  which  they 
were  making  their  -way,  — via , so  to  speak, 
Jacko,  Polly,  and  the  fish-pond. 


VISITORS  : CRACKER  VS.  CRACKER.  69 

“ Let’s  show  them  Bijou,  — they’re  bound  to 
like  Bijou,”  said  James. 

And  like  him  they  did,  — what  boy  doesn’t 
like  a fat,  fleet-footed  pony  ? Bijou  was  one 
of  the  very  fattest  and  fleetest  that  ever  set 
hoof  on  Florida  sand.  The  visitors  were  so 
delighted  with  the  pet  that  Jack’s  feelings 
concerning  Polly  were  entirely  soothed. 

“ He’s  a slicker,”  said  Jake ; “ yer  jes’  bet  he’s 
a slicker.  Kin  hit  trot  ? ” 

“ Trot  ? ” said  Jack.  “ He  can  trot  and  pace, 
and  single-foot,  and  lope , and  run.” 

The  visitors  opened  their  eyes  in  admiration. 
Luke,  the  younger  boy,  put  out  his  hand  and 
patted  Bijou’s  nose,  at  which  the  pony  lifted 
its  head  and  bit  at  the  crop  of  yellow  hair  that 
had  so  fascinated  Jacko. 

“ Oh  ! ” said  Luke.  “ You  git  back.” 

The  boys  laughed  aloud. 

“Mistook  it  for  hay,”  said  Joe.  “Better 
keep  your  crop  out  of  sight.” 

At  this  the  boys  again  showed  fight.  It 
was  very  plain  the  imported  Crackers  and  the 
genuine  Crackers  would  never  stand  upon 
friendly  relations. 

“ Hit’s  tricky,  anyhow,”  said  Jake.  But  this 
toss  of  the  gauntlet  fell  unheeded,  for  James, 


?o 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


quietly  stroking  the  pony’s  pretty  neck,  said, 
caressingly : 

“ He’s  an  Alabamian,  he  is.  He’s  got  good 
blood  in  him.  Like  to  try  him  ? ” 

The  question  created  excitement  enough, 
but  finally  the  visitors  admitted  they  would 
just  like  to  “take  a set  on  his  back  a minute, 
case’n  they  were  afeard  o’  strange  nags.” 

Afraid  indeed.  It  required  all  possible  coax- 
ing to  induce  them  to  mount.  Bijou  was  led 
outside,  and,  after  much  persuasion,  the  visitors 
allowed  themselves  to  be  “ histed  up  to  hit’s 
back.” 

No  sooner  were  they  up  than  Jack,  who  had 
been  waiting  the  opportunity,  whistled,  and 
gave  the  pony  a slight  prick  in  the  side. 

It  was  quite  enough  for  the  restless  Bijou. 
He  set  off  at  a brisk  trot  towards  the  lake, 
the  frightened  boys  clinging  to  his  neck  and 
to  each  other,  screaming  “Paw!  Paw!  Maw! 
Aw,  paw ! Run  here,  paw ! Quick ! ” while 
the  others  stood,  holding  their  sides  with 
laughter. 

O 

Out  came  the  Mate,  Mr.  Joiner,  and  his 
wife,  while  William  left  the  flower-bed  and  ran 
to  rescue  the  frightened  riders. 

The  Mate  had  a suspicion  as  to  how  matters 


HE  SET  OFF  AT  A BRISK  TROT,  . . . THE  FRIGHTENED  BOYS  CLINGING  TO  HIS  NECK. 


VISITORS  : CRACKER  VS.  CRACKER. 


73 


stood,  and  quickly  despatched  William,  who 
caught  the  pony  and  released  the  boys. 

But  in  the  minds  of  the  Joiner  parents  there 
was  never  a hint  of  treachery  on  the  part  of 
the  three  little  Crackers. 

“ Them  young-uns  o’  ourn  is  venturesome,” 
the  father  declared.  “ I ’lows  they  ull  git 
inter  mischief  yit,  ef  they  ain’t  keerful,  an’  git 
the’r  necks  broke  ; an’  then  they  ull  see  ez 
they  ain’t  so  smart  ez  they  lays  they  be.” 

The  Mate  had  sent  the  hired  man  to  take 
the  boys  out  in  the  boats. 

“ Put  Jack  and  Joe  in  one  skiff,  and  in  the 
other  take  James  and  the  two  Joiners,”  had 
been  the  directions.  “ Under  no  circumstances 
allow  Jack  and  the  Joiners  to  go  out  in  the 
same  boat.  Joe  can  row  one,  and  you  must 
go  in  the  other.  No  matter  what  the  boys 
say,  these  are  the  only  conditions  upon  which 
they  can  go  on  the  lake.” 

So  “ upon  these  conditions  ” they  went.  It 
was  the  first  time  the  Joiners  had  ever  been  in 
a boat,  but  it  was  not  the  last,  by  any  means. 

Whether  it  is  boy-nature  to  “ take  to  water,” 
I am  unable  to  say,  but  that  row  with  the 
three  little  Crackers  opened  their  souls  to  the 
delights  of  the  water  to  such  a degree  that 


74 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


they  soon  learned  to  row,  and  more  than  once 
in  the  days  that  followed,  when  a rowboat  was 
missing,  the  cry  might  be  heard  coming  from 
the  neighborhood  of  the  landing,  “ The  Joiners 
have  got  my  boat.”  A trespass  which  served 
to  broaden  the  breach  which  their  first  meeting 
had  made  and  which  all  time  was  destined  never 
to  heal. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  OLD  BLIND  ALLIGATOR. 

If  there  was  one  thing  the  Captain  and  his 
wife  had  endeavored  to  impress  upon  the  boys 
more  than  another,  it  was  the  danger  to  be 
apprehended  from  alligators. 

The  lake  was  full  of  them,  as  indeed  were 
many  of  the  lakelets ; those  little  harmless- 
looking  pools  that  are  to  be  found  in  any 
of  the  low,  marshy  lands  in  which  Florida 
abounds.  The  three  little  Crackers  were 
encouraged  to  fish,  hunt,  and  row;  but  swim- 
ming in  the  lake  was  emphatically  forbidden. 

The  only  one  who  ever  thought  of  disre- 
garding these  admonitions  was  Bijou,  whose 
special  delight,  whenever  he  managed  to  escape 
the  stall,  was  to  take  a plunge  in  the  lake, 
swim  around  awhile,  and  then  come  out  again 
with  a shake  of  his  glossy  head,  as  if  the  for- 
bidden pleasure  had  been  a special  delight. 

“ The  blind  alligator  will  get  him  some  day,” 


75 


76  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

the  Captain  said,  whenever  such  a disobedience 
on  the  part  of  Bijou  was  reported.  “ The  old 
blind  alligator  will  get  him  yet,  if  he  doesn’t 
keep  out  of  that  lake.” 

The  blind  alligator  was  a great,  ugly  crea- 
ture that  had  been  seen  by  the  natives  for 
years  lying  along  the  lake  shore,  warming 
himself  in  the  sunshine  on  the  white  kaolin 
banks.  Frequently  he  had  been  shot  at, 
although  nobody  had  succeeded  in  killing  the 
pest,  whose  depredations  were  becoming  both 
frequent  and  alarming,  and  whose  teeth,  Mr. 
Joiner  declared,  would  “fetch  a round  sum 
down  to  the  Jacksonville  jeweller  shop.” 

The  creature  was  totally  blind,  and  was  sup- 
posed to  be  deaf  as  well,  since  it  had  been 
known  to  lie  asleep  on  the  lake’s  shore  until 
almost  stumbled  upon  by  passers  along  the 
shore. 

Many  sins  were  laid  to  the  charge  of  the 
blind  alligator.  Missing  pigs,  a crippled  cow, 
a butchered  calf,  always  called  forth  the  ex- 
clamation : 

“ The  blind  alligator  has  been  around  here  !” 
Yet,  strange  to  say,  nobody  had  killed  him, 
though  to  be  sure  the  demand  for  alligator 
skin  and  teeth  was  not  at  that  time  what  it  is 


THE  OLD  BLIND  ALLIGATOR.  77 

to-day.  Neither  were  huntsmen  so  plentiful 
on  the  Florida  waters. 

One  afternoon  word  came  from  the  Point 
that  Uncle  James  was  ill,  and  the  Mate  at  once 
set  out  about  making  preparations  to  go  over 
to  see  her  brother. 

When  all  was  ready,  she  sent  William  to 
tell  the  Captain 
that  he  was 
wanted  to  drive 
with  her  over  to 
the  Point. 

The  Captain 
brought  the  in- 
formation that 
the  horses  were 
at  the  “far  grove,” 
the  mules  gone 
to  Okahumpka, 
and  even  Bijou 
had  been  ridden  by  one  of  the  colored  boys  on 
the  place  to  the  sawmill  on  the  Ocklawaha 
River,  to  inquire  about  some  delayed  lumber. 

“ Let’s  walk  over,”  said  the  Mate ; “ it  is  not 
far.” 

“ But  sand-spurs,”  replied  the  Captain.  “ You 
would  never  get  there  for  the  sand-spurs.” 


78  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

“Well,  then,  let  us  row  over;  there  are  the 
boats,”  said  the  Mate,  nothing  daunted  by 
obstacles. 

“ The  boys  have  gone  over  to  Long  Island 
in  the  boats,  to  hunt  Indian  relics  with  Mr. 
Joiner.” 

The  Mate  tapped  her  forehead  with  her  fore- 
finger, a gesture  which  meant  that  her  think- 
ing-cap was  on. 

“ Where  is  the  section  boat  ? ” she  asked, 
when  the  cap  had  set  a moment. 

“ Why,  Sue,”  said  the  Captain,  “ you  don’t 
mean  to  say  you  will  risk  yourself  on  the  lake 
in  that  crazy  old  section  boat  ? ” 

“ It  seems  to  be  all  that  is  left,”  laughed  the 
Mate,  “so  if  you  will  row  me,  I will  risk  it.” 

“Well,”  said  the  Captain,  “I  can  pull  as 
long  as  she  holds  together,  but  she  is  a risky, 
rickety  concern.  A big  fish  could  almost  upset 
her ; and  so  if  sbe  lands  us  both  on  the  bottom 
of  the  lake,  don’t  say  / did  it.” 

“I’ll  not,”  replied  the  Mate.  “If  we  upset 
and  get  ourselves  ‘drowndead,’  as  Mr.  Joiner 
puts  it,  I’ll  promise  not  to  say  one  word  about 

A few  minutes  later  they  left  the  landing  in 
the  section  boat,  a light  little  skiff  made  in  two 


THE  OLD  BLIND  ALLIGATOR. 


79 


sections  for  convenience,  when  it  was  necessary 
to  carry  a skiff  in  the  wagon  to  any  distant 
point  on  the  water  where  a boat  would  be 
needed. 

These  sections  were  held  together  when  in 
use  by  means  of  iron  rods,  which  passed  through 
the  parts,  holding  them  securely  in  place.  Only 
two  people,  “scant  two  ” the  Mate  said,  could 
occupy  it  at  the  same  time ; and  then,  as  she 
further  declared,  “ it  rocked  like  a cradle  on 
the  treetop.” 

Fortunately,  however,  the  lake  was  still ; 
the  afternoon  was  a typical  Florida  afternoon, 
— balmy,  quiet,  dreamful,  with  the  scent  of 
orange  blossoms  in  the  air. 

The  Captain’s  little  craft  hugged  the  shore 
closely,  for  the  Mate  insisted  on  it,  saying: 
“ If  we  have  got  to  drown,  do  let  it  be  near 
home,  not  so  ‘ far  away  on  the  deep.’  Dear ! 
how  the  little  old  shell  does  rock!  Reminds 
me  of  a sermon  I once  heard,  by  an  old  negro 
who  lived  on  an  Alabama  plantation.  Fie  had 
for  his  text  Noah’s  Ark,  and  he  closed  his 
sermon  by  saying:  ‘ I tell  you,  brudderin,  dis 
ole  work  am  a ark,  lack  ole  Noey’s  wuz.  An’ 
it  rock  lack  his’n,  — hit’s  a-rockin’  fur  de  King- 
dom, fur  de  Kingdom ; get  on  de  boad,  all 


8o 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


you  what  wants  ter  be  saved,  fur  I tell  you  de 
old  ark  do  rock.’  Look  out,  Captain,  you  had 
best  pull  to  the  right;  there’s  an  obstruction 
ahead.” 

“ A what  ? ” said  the  Captain,  with  a glance 
over  his  shoulder. 

“ Oh,  nothing  more  than  a big  brown  log 
washed  up  by  the  wa  — Oh,  look ! look ! ” 

The  Mate  pointed  to  the  shore,  as  she  cried 
out  to  the  Captain  to  look. 

“ It’s  alligators  ! Alligators  ! Loads  of  them  ! 
The  woods  are  full  of  them  ! Oh,  do  look ! ” 

The  rower  rested  his  oars  while  he  obeyed 
the  command  to  look.  Upon  a strip  of  low 
land,  where  the  shore  ran  down  on  a level  with 
the  water,  on  the  hot,  white  kaolin,  in  the 
afternoon  sunshine,  lay  a great  brown  alligator, 
basking;  in  the  g;ood  warmth. 

Around  him  had  congregated,  of  all  ages 
and  sizes,  to  the  very  smallest,  at  least  forty  or 
fifty  others,  likewise  enjoying  the  sun. 

“ My ! ” said  the  Captain,  “ they  are  having  a 
regular  picnic  out  there,  all  to  themselves. 
Now  if  the  boys  could  just  get  at  that  lay- 
out— ” 

“ Unless  you  care  to  get  ‘laid  out’  yourself, 
you  had  best  steer  for  the  open  sea,”  said  the 


THE  OLD  BLIND  ALLIGATOR. 


8l 


Mate.  “ I remember  that  ‘ a big  fish  can  upset 
the  section  boat.’  ” 

“ Pshaw ! ” said  the  Captain.  “ See  them 
scamper  at  the  first  intimation  of  our  presence.” 

He  dipped  the  oar  in  the  water,  and,  sure 
enough,  there  was  a hasty  retreat  among  the 
alligators.  One  by  one  they  dropped  back 
into  the  water  until  the  very  last  had  disap- 
peared ; except  the  big  brown  fellow  that  had 
first  attracted  their  attraction.  He  remained, 
upon  the  bank,  his  ugly  hide  glistening  in  the 
sun,  his  great  jaws  thrust  forward  until  they 
were  half  hidden  in  the  coarse  swamp  grass 
growing  along  the  lake  shore  where  the  land 
is  flat,  between  the  two  great  bluffs. 

The  Mate  looked  at  the  brown  monster  sus- 
piciously : 

“ What  does  that  mean,  my  Captain  ? ” said 
she. 

“ It  looks  as  if  it  means  the  old  fellow  is 
dead;  and  that  his  friends  and  acquaintances 
of  the  lake  have  come  to  the  funeral,”  replied 
the  Captain.  “ Suppose  wre  call  by  and  take 
an  inventory  ? ” 

“ Very  well,”  said  the  Mate.  “ I never  heard 
of  alligators  being  possessed  of  any  very  great 
shrewdness,  such  as  foxes  and  opossums  are 


82 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


accredited  with,  so  I suppose  the  old  fellow  is 
truly  dead.  Pull  carefully,  Captain,  not  such 
heavy  strokes ; evenly,  evenly ; remember  we 
are  in  the  section  boat,  and  that  ‘ a big  fish  — ’ 
Oh ! ” 

The  Mate  uttered  a cry  of  surprised  pleasure 
when  the  boat  had  drawn  nearer  the  brown 
carcass  lying  on  the  bank. 

“ Why,  Captain,”  said  she,  “ it  is  the  old 
blind  alligator ! the  old  pig  thief ! the  old  cattle 
maimer ! the  old  — old  — ” 

“ Gently,  wife,”  laughed  the  Captain ; “ he  is 
dead.  His  faults  — ” 

“ And  good  riddance,”  declared  the  Mate. 
“ Peace  to  his  leavings,  I say,  and  I truly  hope 
there  will  now  be  peace  among  the  stock,  now 
that  his  highness  is  dead.  Row  a little  nearer, 
Captain  ; I wish  a last,  long,  comprehensive  view 
of  our  old  terror,  so  that  I may  carry  an  un- 
abridged report  to  Bijou  of  the  demise  of  his 
old  enemy.” 

The  Captain  pulled  the  boat  around  close 
to  the  shore,  and  stopped.  They  were  so 
close  to  the  alligator  they  could  have  touched 
him  with  their  hands  easily,  the  great,  slimy 
beast  that  had  been  the  terror  of  the  neighbor- 
hood for  years. 


THE  OLD  BLIND  ALLIGATOR. 


THE  OLD  BLIND  ALLIGATOR.  85 

“ Sue,”  said  the  Captain,  “ I wish  we  could 
manage  to  tow  him  home  for  the  boys.  What 
a fuss  they  would  make  over  that  head!  Joe 
buried  one  last  week,  for  the  skull,  that  was 
not  nearly  so  fine  as  this,  yet  we  thought  it  a 
fine  one.” 

“ And  the  ivories,  too,”  said  the  Mate.  “ My 
vinaigrette ! I don’t  doubt  there  is  a splendid 
one  in  that  great  head.” 

“ I am  certain  of  it,”  said  the  Captain. 
“ Can’t  we  manage  to  take  him  home  some- 
how ? ” 

“Well,”  replied  the  Mate,  “ I can’t  row,  but 
if  you  will  fasten  a line  of  some  kind  to  the 
old  terror,  I will  try  to  tow  him  back  to  our 
lan, diner.” 

O 

“ But  a line,”  said  the  Captain;  “ I haven’t  a 
line.  Let’s  see,  let’s  see ! I must  get  him 
home.  The  boys  must  have  that  head,  and 
you  your  vinaigrette.  But  how?  Put  on 
your  thinking-cap,  mother.” 

“Well,”  said  the  Mate,  “I  owe  him  many 
and  many  a grudge.  There  are  wrongs  to  be 
avenged  in  the  name  of  pigs,  calves,  and  what 
not.  Here  is  my  scarf,  — take  that.  It  isn’t  a 
new  one,  but  it  is  a strong  one,  and  long 
enough  to  put  a little  distance  between  mine 


86 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


enemy  and  me.  We  will  give  our  young  gen- 
tlemen a start.  Now  if  we  had  only  killed  him, 
instead  of  picking  up  his  corpse  in  this  way, 
like  the  remains  of  an  old  wreck  the  sea  has 
beaten  and  broken  and  left  stranded  on  the 
shore,  we  might  do  some  very  genteel  crowing. 
Ugh!  the  ugly  thing!  Give  me  the  oar  and  I 
will  hold  the  boat  steady  while  you  make  the 
line  fast  to  his  head.  Ugh ! you  old  blind 
beauty,  — there’s  one  for  Bijou  — ” She  gave 
a vigorous  punch,  then  one  shriek,  and  the 
oar  fell  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat  with  a 
great  clatter. 

For  no  sooner  did  she  thrust  it  into  the 
alligator’s  brown  side,  giving  that  “ one  ” vigor- 
ous, vengeful  prod,  than  the  creature  gave  a 
fierce  snort,  a kind  of  bull-like  bellow,  a flop  of 
its  great  tail,  that  sent  the  old  section  boat 
spinning  out  into  the  lake,  and  the  Captain 
upon  his  knees,  while  he  himself  dropped  back 
into  the  water. 

Not  quietly,  however ; the  prod  upon  his  ribs 
had  evidently  put  him  into  a great  fury.  Fie 
lashed  the  water  with  his  tail  until  the  white 
foam  and  bubbles  rose  all  around  the  little 
boat,  that  was  reeling  and  rocking  helplessly 
before  his  fury. 


THE  OLD  BLIND  ALLIGATOR. 


37 


The  Captain  had  seized  the  oar,  but  hesi- 
tated to  use  it,  lest  it  incite  the  enemy  to  a 
still  fiercer  attack.  One  blow  of  his  tail  would 
splinter  the  light  vessel,  the  Captain  knew,  or 
certainly  upset  it.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but 
wait,  and  let  the  boat  drift  until  out  of  danger. 


The  Mate  said  never  a word,  after  that  one 
wild  shriek,  until  the  excitement  was  over. 
She  sat  quietly  in  her  end  of  the  boat,  pale 
as  death,  but  with  a settled  determination  not 
to  make  a very  bad  situation  worse  by  losing 
her  self-possession. 

But  wdien  the  bellowing  at  last  ceased,  and 
the  water  became  quiet  again,  the  Captain 


88 


THREE  LITTLE'  CRACKERS. 


dipped  in  the  oar  and  said,  a twinkle  in  his 
gray  eye : 

“ Was  the  view ‘comprehensive,’  Sue?”  Then 
it  was  the  Mate  aroused,  and  proceeded,  in  a 
most  vigorous  fashion,  to  resent  the  recent 
attack. 

“Just  like  him,”  she  declared.  “Just  like 
the  ugly  varmint  to  be  playing  ’possum  on  the 
bank,  pretending  to  be  asleep  until  we  are 
almost  in  his  very  jaws!  Oh,  dear!  just  to 
think  how  near  you  were  to  putting  your 
hands  in  his  mouth ! And  how  near  we  both 
were  to  going  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  And 
how  very  near  we  were  to  a fine  skull,  and  a 
handsome  vinaigrette.  Playing  ’possum,  the 
sly  old  beast!” 

“ I think,”  said  the  Captain,  “ the  creature  is 
deaf,  and,  therefore,  had  no  intimation  of  our 
approach  until  you  punched  him  in  the  ribs. 
At  any  rate,  we  will  be  more  careful  how  we 
capture  dead  alligators  after  this.  They  might 
resent  the  familiarity.” 

“ Reminds  me  of  an  old  negro  who  used  to 
live  on  our  plantation  when  I was  a girl,”  said 
the  Mate.  “He  moved  to  Kansas,  along  with 
a score  or  more  of  darkies,  who  had  obtained 
freedom.  In  a few  months  the  old  fellow  came 


THE  OLD  BLIND  ALLIGATOR. 


89 


back  and  asked  for  work.  He  did  not  like 
Kansas,  evidently,  although  all  he  ever  said, 
when  questioned,  was  that  ‘ yer  nebber  knows 
what’s  what  tell  yer  tries  hit.’  So  say  I.  Cap- 
tain, is  that  a boat  coming  across  the  lake  from 
Long  Island  ? ” 


Something  must  be  the  matter.  See ! they 
are  signalling  us ! Shall  we  go  to  them  ? ” 

“ It  isn’t  a signal  of  distress,”  said  the  Mate. 
“ I think  we  had  best  not  risk  the  section  boat 
so  far  from  home.  Let  us  wait  until  they  are 
nearer.” 

In  a little  while  the  rowboats,  under  the  vig- 


go 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


orous  strokes  of  the  boys’  paddles,  were  in 
hailing  distance.  The  Crackers  were  evidently 
greatly  excited,  for  Joe’s  hat  was  gone,  James’s 
hands  were  blistered,  while  Jack’s  eyes  had  a 
wild,  frightened  eagerness  about  them,  entirely 
in  keeping  with  the  voice  in  which  he  shouted  : 

“ Oh,  mother,  what  is  it  ? What  has  hap- 
pened ? We  heard  you  scream  ’way  over  on 
the  island,  and  came  at  once.  Is  anybody 
hurt,  or  dead,  do  tell  us  quick  ? ” 

And  then,  for  the  first  time,  the  Mate  real- 
ized how  she  must  indeed  have  screamed,  to 
be  heard  over  on  Long  Island.  Though  never 
for  one  moment  did  she  or  the  Captain  fail  to 
realize  the  extent  of  the  danger  to  which  they 
had  been  exposed. 

Nor  did  the  Captain  forget  to  impress  upon 
the  boys  the  fact  that  they  had  acted  well  and 
wisely  in  hurrying  at  once  to  their  mother’s 
aid,  although,  as  it  proved  in  this  case,  they 
could  do  nothing. 

“ Another  time  it  might  be  different,”  he 
told  them.  “ At  any  rate,  never  take  any 
chances  on  a suspected  danger.  It  is  better 
to  be  deceived  many  times,  than  to  disregard 
one  real  cry  for  help.  This  applies  to  all 
classes  and  conditions  of  life.  Remember  it.” 


CHAPTER  VI. 

WHO  STOLE  THE  BEAR -TRAP? 

Another  year  marked  the  continued  pros- 
perity of  the  family  at  Col  Alto.  The  wharf 
had  been  built,  just  below  the  bluff  upon 
which,  sometime , the  new  house  was  to  stand. 
There  were  steps,  and  a long  bridge  leading 
down  to  it,  and  the  steamer  called  by  twice 
each  week. 

The  banana  stalks  were  full  of  fruit,  and 
there  were  lemons,  limes,  and  sweet  oranges 
in  the  grove.  The  Mate  had  learned  to  utilize 
many  things  that  were  unknown  to  her  two 
years  before.  She  had  learned  that  the  sour 
wild  oranges  made  a delicately  delicious  wine, 
most  agreeable  to  the  sick. 

And  after  Mr.  Joiner  had  persuaded  her  to 
“ bile  a few  ” palmetto  cabbages,  and  the  family 
had  declared  it  a most  delicious  dish,  she  had 
tried  it  for  pickle  and  found  it  equally  good ; 
although  she  did  not  encourage  the  use  of 


91 


92 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


the  palmetto  cabbages,  since,  in  order  to  obtain 
it,  it  was  necessary  to  kill  the  tree,  the  cabbage 
consisting  of  the  tender  white,  nut-like  meat, 
or  head,  formed  in  the  top  of  the  palmetto-tree. 
The  natives  were  fond  of  it,  and  so,  too,  were 
the  bears;  and  so,  too,  were  our  Crackers, 
although  it  was  necessary  to  fell  the  tree  to  get 
the  cabbage ; and,  according  to  the  Mate,  “ the 
palmettoes  were  too  handsome  to  be  eaten.” 

The  Captain,  under  her  directions,  had  had 
a grove  of  the  pretty  oriental-looking  trees 
replanted,  just  to  the  right  of  the  spot  upon 
which,  some  day,  the  new  house  was  to  stand. 
The  new  house  seemed  to  be  getting  nearer 
and  nearer  all  the  while,  too ; for  the  Captain 
had  found  it  necessary  to  send  back  to  Ala- 
bama for  fifty  extra  “ hands  ” to  help  in  the 
groves,  and  that  meant  prosperity. 

And  in  the  meantime  what  of  the  three  little 
Crackers  ? Growing  in  the  knowledge  of  fish- 
ing, hunting,  and  trapping ; but  how  about  that 
other  knowledge  that  hides  itself  between  the 
covers  of  books,  and  must  be  dug  for  with  a 
little  instrument  that  is  tucked  away  among 
tissues  and  cells,  called  the  brain  ? 

The  Mate  had  not  forgotten,  although  she 
had  kept  rather  quiet  about  the  matter. 


WHO  STOLE  THE  BEAR  - TRAP ? 93 

One  morning,  however,  she  broached  the 
subject  to  the  Captain. 

“ They  are  getting  to  be  such  strong,  healthy 
boys  now,”  she  argued,  “ they  might  go  to  their 
books  with  all  safety.” 

“ Give  them  one  more  year,  mother,”  said 
the  Captain ; “ they  are  young  yet,  and  this 
half  wild  life  is,  as  you  say,  making  sturdy 
lads  of  them.  Give  them  one  more  year  of 
freedom,  and  of  sunshine,  then  we  will  have 
a tutor  for  them.  Let  them  study  nature  with 
their  friend  Joiner  one  year  yet.” 

“ If  nature  was  all  they  learn  of  ‘J’iner,’  I 
would  agree  very  willingly,”  laughed  the  Mate. 
“ But  they  are  becoming  such  veritable  little 
Crackers ! Why,  only  yesterday  J oe  went  down 
to  get  his  boat,  and  found  it  missing.  ‘Jake 
J’iner !’  I heard  him  tell  James,  in  Mr.  Bus 
Joiner’s  own  tone  and  manner;  ‘Jake  J’iner!  I 
was  so  mad  to  find  my  boat  gone  that  I was 
fit  to  fight.’  And  James  comforted  him  by  ad- 
mitting that  it  was  indeed  the  most  outdacious- 
est  piece  of  impudence  he  ever  heard  tell  on.” 

“ Well,”  said  the  Captain,  “ a little  dialect 
more  or  less  can’t  do  any  serious  harm.  A 
good  tutor  will  soon  regulate  all  that.  Give 
them  another  year  with  Joiner.” 


94 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


The  little  Crackers  also  begged  so  hard  for 
“Just  one  more  year,  mother.”  “We  can’t 
ever  be  boys  again,  you  know.”  “ And  we  can 
be  men  any  time,  always.”  “ Do,  mother,  dear; 
don't  bring  a tutor  to  Col  Alto.”  Then  Jack 
settled  the  matter  by  reminding  the  Mate  there 
wasn’t  any  place  for  him  anyhow  until  they 
got  the  new  house,  and  the  yacht  that  was  to 
be  bought  at  the  same  time  the  house  was 
ready. 

“ I am  not  thinkinsr  of  housing  a tutor  in  a 
steam  yacht,”  said  the  Mate.  “ And  as  for  Col 
Alto,  there  are  seven  rooms.  Surely,  I can 
stow  him  away  somewhere,  little  Cracker.” 
“But,  mother,”  said  Jack,  “there  is  your 
room,  and  there  is  the  sitting-room,  and  there 
is  the  parlor,  and  the  dining-room,  our  room, 
and  the  two  company  rooms  — ” 

“ And  what  are  they  for  ? ” asked  the  Mate, 
with  a smile  that  said,  “ Now,  sir,  you  are 
cornered.” 

“ They  are  for  company,”  replied  the  Cracker. 
“ They  are  for  the  Governor  of  Alabama  when 
he  comes  here  to  go  hunting  with  father.” 

So  the  matter  was  dropped  for  the  moment, 
although  the  Mate  had  fully  settled  it  in  her 
own  mind  that  this  must  be  the  last  year  of 


WHO  STOLE  THE  BEAR  - TRAP  ? 95 

freedom  — “ ignorance,”  she  called  it  — allowed 
the  three  little  Dixie  Crackers. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  bears  and 
wildcats,  with  which  the  hammocks  abounded, 
began  to  be  a great  nuisance. 

The  young  pigs  that  disappeared,  the 
chickens,  and  turkeys,  caused  much  annoy- 
ance to  the  Captain’s  wife.  But  when  the 
tender  young  bananas  began  to  disappear  as 
fast  as  they  ripened,  the  Captain  himself  awoke 
to  the  necessity  of  taking  steps  to  catch  the 
depredators. 

One  morning  he  came  down  to  the  pond 
where  the  Mate  was  helping  the  Crackers  catch 
minnows,  with  which  to  bait  their  hooks  for 
trout. 

He  wore  a very  long  face,  and  the  Mate, 
who  often  declared  she  had  not  lived  opposite 
that  face  all  these  years  (about  sixteen)  for 
nothing,  immediately  looked  into  it,  and 
inquired : 

“ What  is  wrong,  Captain  ? ” 

“ Something  is  ruining  my  bananas,”  replied 
the  Captain.  “ Evidently  it  is  some  wild  ani- 
mal, for  there  are  tracks  about  the  grove  that 
/ think  were  made  by  a wildcat.  Mr.  Joiner, 
however,  insists  they  are  1 b’ar  tracks.’  Any- 


96 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


how,  they  are  the  tracks  made  by  a thief,  and 
I have  sent  over  to  Drake  Point  to  borrow  a 
trap  until  the  wagon  goes  to  Okahumpka, 
when  I shall  order  one  of  my  own.  Lest 
the  trap  should  not  work  well,  I mean  to  set 
a watch  on  the  bananas  to-night,  and  have  the 
animal  shot,  if  possible.” 

At  this  piece  of  information  there  was  a 
great  clamor  among  the  Crackers. 

“ Oh,  good ! ” “ Oh,  let  me  ! ” “ Let  us  ! ” 

“We’ll  watch!”  “We’ll  kill  the  bear  that 
eats  the  bananas  ! ” “ May  we,  father  ? ” 

“ Will  you  let  us  ? ” “ Oh,  say,  do,  that  we 

may  watch ! ” 

“ Easy,”  said  the  Captain.  “ One  at  a time. 
You  wish  to  guard  the  banana  grove  all 
night ? Remember,  it  is  an  all-night  job. 
No  sneaking  home  at  the  first  mew  of  a 
wildcat,  or  sound  of  a bear  in  the  palmetto- 
tree.” 

It  was  so  easy  to  be  brave  there  in  the  good 
daylight,  while  the  sun  shone  on  the  pond, 
and  the  hands  were  singing  in  their  drowsy, 
dreamy  treble  over  in  the  grove,  among  the 
lemons.  And  father  and  mother  stood  there, 
wide-awake,  ready  to  step  between  them  and 
danger,  if  danger  coiild  exist  in  a world  so 


MINNOWS  FOR  BAIT. 


WHO  STOLE  THE  BEAR  - TRAP  ? 


99 


tranquilly  beautiful  and  good,  and  so  seemingly 
safe. 

“ Now,  boys,”  it  was  the  Mate  who  lifted 
a warning  voice,  “ your  father  really  wishes 
a watch , not  a make-believe,  for  his  bananas. 
Before  you  rush  into  it,  consider,  — for  once 
you  undertake  it,  you  must  carry  it  through.” 

“ Indeed  we  will,  mother,”  said  James.  “We 
should  so  like  to  be  of  some  use  to  father.” 

“ There  are  other  ways  that  involve  less 
danger,”  replied  the  Mate.  “ The  question  is, 
will  you  stick  ? Remember,  before  you  prom- 
ise, remember  the  Indian  raid! 

“Oh,  father,  we  are  not  afraid,”  said  Joe. 
“We  can  take  our  guns  and  hide  over  in  the 
garden,  our  own  garden,  that  we  are  familiar 
with.  It  is  not  like  prowling  about  in  a 
strange  hammock  all  night.” 

“ And  we  will  just  let  daylight  into  that 
bear;  see  if  we  don’t,”  added  Jack.  “Won't 
we,  James?” 

“We’ll  make  him  bite  the  dust,”  said  James, 
“ like  Mr.  Joiner  makes  those  he  kills,  1 worser’n 
pizen.’  ” 

“ May  we,  father?  You  know  we  can’t  ever 
be  brave  unless  you  give  us  a chance.  May 
we  ? ” said  the  big  Cracker,  as  he  brushed  the 


IOO 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


dirt  from  his  knees,  where  they  had  come  in 
contact  with  the  soft,  sandy  soil,  while  he 
“ dipped  ” for  minnows. 

“Well,”  replied  the  Captain,  “we  will  see; 
we  will  see.” 

The  Crackers  knew  what  that  meant,  and 
already  they  began  to  chatter  with  the  Mate 
about  the  wonderful  exploit  they  were  about 
to  have,  and  about  the  hide  of  the  bear,  which 
was  to  be  preserved  in  a rug,  for  the  Mate’s 
own  use. 

They  had  not  observed  the  wrink  that  passed 
between  the  Captain  and  his  wife,  nor  had  the 
faintest  hint  of  treason  entered  their  minds, 
when  the  Captain  hurried  away  to  speak  to  Mr. 
Joiner,  who  was  assisting  that  day  in  rooting 
up  dwarf  palmettoes  in  a piece  of  new  ground 
they  were  clearing  for  lemons,  just  beyond  the 
orange  lands. 

It  was  finally  agreed  that  they  should  in- 
deed act  as  a watch  upon  the  grove,  and 
destroy,  if  possible,  the  bear  that  was  robbing 
them  of  their  first  bananas.  Great  prepara- 
tions were  made  by  the  three  Crackers, — 
guns  were  cleaned  and  loaded,  an  ambush 
was  built  just  on  the  edge  of  the  garden,  near 
which  the  bear  must  pass,  in  getting  from  the 


WIIO  STOLE  THE  BEAR -TRAP? 


IOI 


hammock  to  the  banana  grove,  and  at  nine 
o’clock  the  Crackers,  with  their  weapons  in 
first-class  order,  “ went  upon  duty.” 

The  Mate  had  allowed  them  an  extra  sip  of 
coffee,  since  there  was  a look  in  the  little 
Cracker’s  eye  that  wasn’t  just  the  expression 
for  a sentry  on  duty  to  wear.  She  protested, 
however,  against  the  plan  to  carry  a lunch 
with  them  to  the  garden, — for  brave  as  the 
Mate  was,  and  brave  as  she  devoutly  desired 
the  little  Crackers  to  be,  she  was  a woman,  — 
and  she  had  an  idea  that  food  would  draw  wild 
animals,  whose  sense  of  smell  is  most  acute. 
She  had  no  desire  to  draw  them  to  the  covert 
of  the  Crackers,  so,  without  giving  any  reason 
for  it,  she  forbade  the  lunch. 

The  moon  was  shining  when  the  boys  crept 
under  their  ambush,  and  set  their  guns  in 
position,  with  the  muzzles  pointed  towards  the 
bananas,  whose  long  stalks  rose  white  and  ghost- 
like in  the  moonlight,  with  their  long  leaves 
flapping,  when  the  wind  stirred  them,  like  the 
arms  of  some  gaunt  giant.  A more  delighted 
trio  of  boys  were  never  given  a duty,  or  one 
more  brave  of  heart,  and  ready  to  attack  an 
enemy. 

This  courage  may  have  been  due  in  part  to 


102 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


the  moonlight,  — possibly,  in  a very  slight  de- 
gree, to  the  light  that  twinkled  from  the  sitting- 
room  window  at  Col  Alto.  For  they  never 
could  have  suspected  that  upon  the  hill,  just 
beyond  them,  their  good  friend  Mr.  Joiner  was 
also  on  duty,  — said  duty  being  to  see  that  no 
harm  came  to  the  three  little  Crackers. 


The  Captain  had  instructed  them  in  their 
duty.  There  must  be  no  talking  or  whisper- 
ing. They  must  lie  perfectly  still,  and  keep 
their  eyes  upon  the  strip  of  cleared  ground 
lying  between  the  hammock  and  the  grove. 
Nobody  must  fire  until  Joe  should  give  the 
word.  Joe  was  a good  shot  for  his  years  and 


WHO  STOLE  THE  BEAR  - TRAP  ? 103 

experience.  Moreover,  the  Captain  wished 
the  other  two  Crackers  to  feel  that  their  older 
brother  was  to  some  extent  their  leader  and 
adviser.  He  especially  desired  that  the  big 
Cracker  should  feel  that  a responsibility  con- 
cerning his  brothers  rested  upon  him,  and 
neither  the  Captain  nor  the  Mate  ever  lost  an 
opportunity  for  forcing  this  idea  upon  his 
mind. 

The  trap  had  been  set  slightly  back  into  the 
grove,  where  the  stalks  were  thickest  and 
the  fruit  ripest.  It  was  one  of  those  clumsy 
iron  concerns,  that  take  their  captive  by  the 
foot,  and  hold  it  in  a grip  of  torture  until 
released.  It  was  fastened  by  an  iron  chain 
to  a small  oak  that  grew  just  on  the  edge  of 
the  grove,  and  directly  in  the  course  of  the 
tracks  previously  discovered. 

It  was  a royal  undertaking  at  nine  ' o’clock. 
At  ten,  however,  the  moon  forsook  them,  and 
much  of  the  glory  of  the  adventure  went  out 
with  it. 

If  they  could  only  have  spoken  to  each 
other  it  would  have  been  some  comfort,  but 
orders  were  positive,  and  the  Crackers  were 
obedient. 

They  entered  upon  a kind  of  foot  tele- 


104 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


graphy,  however,  which  for  awhile  served  them 
very  well.  A slight  punch  with  the  toe  upon 
the  calf  meant,  “ See  anything  ? ” A rub 
of  the  sole  upon  the  calf,  in  reply,  meant 
“ Nothing.” 

A touch  of  the  heel  upon  the  calf  meant,  “ I 
hear  a noise.”  A kick  meant,  “ Get  your  gun 
ready.”  And  a chuck  in  the  ribs  with  the 
hand  meant,  “Wake  up.” 

It  was  a very  still  night,  scarcely  a sound 
for  a long  time.  Then  the  boys’  keen  ears 
did  hear  something.'  It  was  not  a groan,  nor 
a snort  exactly,  — Joe  thought  it  was  an  alli- 
gator’s bellow  at  first,  while  James  was  pretty 
sure  it  was  a bear.  Jack  thought  it  sounded 
“ more  like  somebody  snoring  than  anything 
else.” 

The  strange  part  about  it  was  that  it  con- 
tinued all  night  without  interruption ; so  the 
boys  said. 

Once  Jack  dealt  Joe  a vigorous  kick,  which 
brought  him  to  his  knees  and  to  his  gun  with 
such  abrupt  promptness  that  James  had  a half 
suspicion  he  was  nodding. 

But,  although  he  obeyed  the  signal,  and 
“got  his  gun  ready,”  nothing  more  fierce  than 
that  mysterious  noise  from  the  region  of  the 


WHO  STOLE  THE  BEAR  - TRAP  ? 105 

hill  near  by  offered  itself  to  their  marksman- 
ship at  the  moment. 

It  was  somewhat  later  that  a stealthy  figure 
crept  with  noiseless  step,  bristles  extended,  and 
yellow  eyes  glaring,  from  the  gloomy  depths  of 
the  hammock,  and  went,  like  a spirit  of  evil, 
straight  towards  the  ambush  behind  which  lay 
the  brave  watchers. 

Steady,  steady  now,  little  Crackers ; to- 
morrow will  have  a tale  to  tell,  no  doubt  of 
that. 

It  was  daylight  when  the  Captain  awoke  and 
hurried  into  his  clothes.  The  Mate  turned 
drowsily,  for  another  nap. 

“ Anything  from  the  boys  ? ” she  inquired, 
sleepily. 

“ Not  a word,”  said  the  Captain.  “ Must  be 
something  wrong,  or  they  would  have  reported 
before  this.  I am  groins:  to  look  after  them.” 

“ Then  wait  for  me,”  said  the  Mate,  and 
hastily  putting  on  her  slippers  and  dressing- 
gown,  she  was  ready  in  a moment  to  set  out 
with  the  Captain  on  a tour  of  inspection  and 
of  investigation. 

The  grass  was  heavy  with  the  dew,  and  at 
every  step  the  sand-spurs  pricked  at  her  stock- 
ingless feet.  But  the  Mate  was  a pioneer’s 


io6 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


wife,  or  told  herself  she  was,  and  a mother ; 
and  into  the  mothers  heart  had  crept  a vague 
fear,  unexpressed  but  felt,  for  the  dear  little 
three  who  had  begged  “ to  be  of  use  to  father.” 

They  went  by  the  banana  grove,  and  saw 
fresh  tracks.  There  were  sisrns  of  a scramble 

O 

of  some  description,  and  marks  of  something 
heavy  having  been  dragged  across  the  clearing, 
towards  the  hammock.  The  trap  was  gone ; 
only  a bit  of  the  broken  chain  swung  from  the 
tree  to  which  it  had  been  locked. 

They  hurried  on  to  the  ambush,  stopped  a 
moment,  and  then  passed  on  to  the  hill  where 
Mr.  Joiner  had  been  put  to  watch. 

And  then  the  Mate  sat  down  on  the  ground, 
sand-spurs  and  all,  and  laughed  until  the  tears 
rolled  down  her  cheeks.  The  robber  had 
run  off  with  the  trap ; in  the  ambush  lay  the 
three  little  Crackers , fast  asleep,  — on  the  hill, 
stretched  full  length,  lay  Mr.  Joiner,  still  snor- 
ing away  with  that  vigor  that  had  caused  the 
three  Crackers  to  think  an  alligator  was  on 
the  war-path. 

The  Mate  sent  the  Captain  to  the  house  for 
the  breakfast-bell ; and  ten  minutes  later  its 
deafening  tones  were  sounding  in  the  ears  of 
the  sleepers,  whose  feelings,  on  being  thus 


WHO  STOLE  THE  BEAR  - TRAP  ? IO7 

awakened,  can  be  better  imagined  than  de- 
scribed. 

But  the  vvorst  was  yet  to  come.  During  the 
day,  so  rapidly  does  ill  news  travel,  Uncle 
James  sent  over  to  inquire  if  the  boys  could 
be  engaged  to  watch  his  poultry  yard  all  night; 
saying  that  there  was  a rat  that  had  found  an 
entrance  in  some  way  and  was  stealing  the 
chickens’  food. 

And  later  came  the  inevitable  letter  from 
Aunt  Lizzie,  enclosing  the  story  of  the  “ Seven 
Sleepers,”  also  a newspaper  slip  containing  an 
account  of  a sentinel  who  went  to  sleep  at  his 
post  and  was  shot. 

But  the  worst  of  all  was  when  they  were 

scolding  the  Joiner  boys,  whom  they  had 

caught  in  the  act  of  removing  their  boat,  and 

Jake  put  his  fingers  in  his  eyes  and  began  to 

rub  them,  as  if  just  awakening  out  of  sleep, 

and  sang  out  in  his  flat,  Cracker  voice,  “Is 

that  air  the  breakfus-bell  a-ringin’,  did  yer 
*\ 

say  r 

While  Luke  inquired,  knowingly  : 

“ Any  bars  over  ter  you-unses  bananny  grove, 
this  year?  ” 

At  this  the  little  Crackers  said  never  a word. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

HUNTING  ALLIGATOR  EGGS. 

One  morning  the  Captain  drove  over  to 
Okahumpka,  and,  the  day  being  especially 
pleasant,  the  Mate  decided  at  the  last  moment 
to  go  with  him. 

There  was  no  time  to  “give  orders,”  even  if 
the  Crackers  had  not  been  down  in  the  “far 
grove,” — the  new  grove  that  lay  beyond  the 
land  cleared  the  first  year  of  the  Captain’s 
residence  in  Florida.  So  word  was  left  with 
William,  for  the  boys  to  “ behave  themselves, 
be  good  boys,  and  not  go  out  of  sight  of  the 
house  without  either  William  or  Mr.  Joiner.” 

“ That  out  of  sight  of  the  house  clause  in- 
cludes everything,  I believe ,”  laughed  the  Mate, 
as  she  climbed  to  a seat  in  the  “ no-top  ” 
buggy  which  was  to  convey  the  two  to  the 
nearest  village,  Okahumpka,  now  a railroad 
station. 

They  had  been  gone  about  an  hour  when 

108 


HUNTING  ALLIGATOR  EGGS. 


IO9 


the  Crackers  came  home,  received  their  orders, 
and  at  once  set  about  finding  some  means  of 
amusing  themselves. 

Another  hour  passed  in  this  rather  forlorn 
manner;  then  Jack,  the  little  Cracker,  whose  fer- 
tile brain  was  ever  on  the  inventive  quest, 
startled  his  brothers  by  proposing  a row  over 
to  the  Little  Island  in  search  of  alligator  eggs. 

Instead  of  promptly  putting  aside  the  temp- 
tation, they  discussed  it. 

“ There  are  lots  of  them  over  there,”  said 
Joe.  “ I heard  Mr.  Joiner  tell  mother  the 
‘ Islint  ware  in  an’  about  et  up  with  ’gator 
eggs. 

“ Mother  wants  some,  too ; I heard  her  say 
so,”  said  Jack.  “She  wants  to  blow  the  meat 
out  and  send  the  empty  shells  to  Aunt  Lizzie. 
She’ll  be  glad  to  get  them,  I ’most  know.” 

“ Pioneers  ought  to  know  all  about  alligator 
eggs,  anyhow,”  added  Joe,  “and  you  know  we 
are  pioneers,  and  it  is  our  business  to  explore. 
Let’s  go.  What  do  you  say,  James?” 

“ I don’t  quite  think  we  ought,”  said  James, 
the  only  one  to  offer  even  a faint  protest. 
“ Mother  said  we  were  not  to  go  ‘ out  of  sight 
of  the  house.  ’ ” 

“ Well,  Little  Island  isn’t  out  of  sight  of  the 


I IO 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


house,”  said  Jack.  And  that  seemed  to  settle 
it ; for  without  further  parley  they  ran  down 
to  the  lake,  to  find  one  of  the  rowboats 
missing. 

“ Jake  Joiner!  ” snapped  Joe,  as  he  pointed 
to  the  spot  where  the  boat  was  always  left 
when  not  in  use.  “ I’d  just  like  to  have  it  up- 
set ’em  into  the  lake  sometime,  and  maybe 
they’d  let  it  alone,”  said  Joe.  “ I just  would.” 

“You  wouldn’t  like  mother  to  hear  you  say 
so,  I’ll  be  bound,”  said  the  little  Cracker,  as  he 
pushed  the  remaining  boat  off  the  sand  and 
stepped  in. 

“We  can  all  go  in  here,  anyhow,”  he  con- 
tinued. “ We  don’t  need  two  boats,  ’thout  it’s 
to  haul  the  ’gator  eggs  home  in.  Come  on ; 
pile  in,  — if  the  wind  rises  before  we  start,  that 
settles  it.” 

“ And  if  it  rises  before  we  get  back,  that 
settles  it,”  said  James,  still  hesitating.  At 
which  Cracker  Joe,  already  in,  and  with  the 
oars  in  his  hands,  lost  patience,  and  called  out, 
angrily  : 

“ See  here,  if  you’re  afraid,  do  you  stay  there. 
Jack  and  I can  manage  without  you;  we  are 
pioneers , we  are.” 

At  which  the  middle  Cracker  very  reluc- 


HUNTING  ALLIGATOR  EGGS. 


I I I 


tantly  climbed  into  the  boat,  and  Joe  “pulled 
her  out  to  sea.” 

They  had  forgotten  to  carry  a basket  for  the 
eggs.  They  had  forgotten,  also,  until  well  out 
in  the  lake,  how  the  Mate  had  repeatedly  re- 
marked upon  the  danger  of  robbing  an  alli- 
gator’s nest.  It  was  the  little  Cracker  who 
recalled  the  remark  to  the  other  two,  — the 
same  little  Cracker  who  had  suggested,  and 
argued  for  the  adventure. 

“ Well,”  said  the  big  Cracker,  “ I have  heard 
her  say  many  a time  that  she  intended  some 
time  to  take  the  boat  and  go  over  to  the  Little 
Island  after  alligator  eo;s:s.” 

o oo 

“We’ll  surprise  her  with  an  odd  hundred  or 
so,”  said  James,  who,  according  to  his  habit,  — 
or  disposition,  — once  into  the  scrape,  dropped 
the  “ oughtn’ts  ” and  “ shouldn’ts  ” and  “ might- 
have-beens  ” into  the  sea  of  Too  Late,  and  set 
about  finding  the  very  best  there  was  to  be 
found  in  the  enterprise.  “ We’ll  surprise  her  with 
the  eggs,  and  then  she  won’t  scold  us,  maybe.” 

“ If  a big  she-alligator  swallows  us  whole,  we 
can’t  fetch  her  nothing,”  said  the  little  Cracker, 
with  something  very  like  a quiver  in  his  voice. 

The  big  Cracker  assumed  his  very  grandest 
air  of  superiority,  and  said  : 


I I 2 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


“ See  here,  if  you  are  afraid,  you  had  better 
go  back.  S’posin’  I turn  round  and  ‘ fetch  ’ you 
to  the  bank  and  let  you  go  home.” 

“ S’posin’  you  fetch  your  own  self  there,” 
retorted  the  little  Cracker.  “ I reckint  I’ll 
hold  out  about  as  long  as  you  do,  and  I reckint 
I’ll  bring  back  about  as  many  ’gator  eggs.” 

“ Reckint  so?”  said  Joe.  And  at  that  mo- 
ment James  called  to  them  to  leave  off  quarrel- 
ling and  look  where  they  were  going. 

“ Can’t  you  see  there’s  a wind  rising,  Joe  ? ” 
he  demanded,  “ and  that  it  is  driving  the  boat 
too  far  out  ? Pull  on  your  oar  there,  and  let 
Jack  be.  A fine  rower  you  are  ! ” 

In  spite  of  the  taunt,  however,  Joe  was  a 
good  oarsman.  He  had  merely  forgotten,  in 
disputing  with  Jack,  to  notice  the  course  they 
were  taking,  until,  as  James  said,  the  wind, 
which  was  rising  all  the  while,  threatened  to 
sweep  the  little  craft  out  into  the  open  lake, 
where,  unprotected  by  the  bluffs,  there  would 
be  serious  danger  of  upsetting  among  the  big 
waves. 

By  a strong  sweep  of  the  oar,  another,  and 
a dozen  more,  Joe  sent  the  boat  spinning  into 
the  right  track. 

But  somehow  that  little  prelude  to  the  ' 


HUNT-ING  ALLIGATOR  EGGS.  I I 3 

adventure  had  cast  a damper  over  the  whole 
exploit. 

“ Hadn’t  we  really  better  turn  back  ? ” said 
James.  “ There  is  time  to  get  home  yet,  but 
if  the  wind  rises  very  much  it  will  cut  us  off 
out  here  on  the  island,” 

“We  can  raise  a distress  signal,”  said  Joe, 
forgetting  there  was  nobody  to  see  it,  “ and 
besides,  we  needn’t  stay  long.  We  can  just 
grab  the  eggs  and  run  back  to  the  boat.” 

“ Yes,”  said  the  little  Cracker,  “ we  can,  — if 
they  are  growing  on  the  trees.” 

“ Well,  anyhow,  we  are  too  near  them  to 
give  up  now,”  declared  Joe.  “ Here’s  the 
island,  and  here  we  are.  Why,  here’s  a land- 
ing, too,  — somebody  been  here  before.  Out 
with  you,  James,  and  catch  the  chain.” 

“We  really  must  not  stay  long,”  said  James. 
“ Look  at  the  lake.”  And  truly,  the  pretty 
lake  of  sunbeams  was  a great  expanse  of  boil- 
ing, frothy  waves,  that  hissed  and  sputtered 
angrily  against  the  Little  Island. 

The  little  island  was  a small  spot  of  land, 
hammock,  covered  with  a wild,  tangled  growth, 
which  all  natives  round  about  knew  to  be  a 
covert  for  rattlesnakes,  cats,  and  the  alligators 
that  went  there  to  sun  themselves  and  to  de- 


I 14  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

posit  their  eggs.  The  entire  island  did  not 
consist  of  more  than  two  or  three  acres. 

The  boys  made  the  boat  fast,  and  started 
briskly  upon  their  explorations.  “ Why,  here 
is  a little  path,”  exclaimed  the  big  Cracker, 
“already  trom-tramped  out!  Whoever  could 
have  tromped-tramped  it  ? And  wherever  does 
it  lead  ? ” 

“ Don’t  know,  but  much  obliged  to  the 
‘ trom,  trom  ’ tramper  all  the  same,”  said  the 
little  Cracker;  who  never  forgot,  under  cir- 
cumstances however  exciting,  to  enjoy  the  big 
Cracker’s  plunges  into  the  Joiner  dialect. 

It  would  have  required  but  a short  while  to 
explore  the  entire  island  had  it  not  been  for 
the  heavy,  almost  impenetrable  growth  that,  at 
times,  even  covered  the  “ little  path  ” they  had 
so  rejoiced  to  find.  It  was  a curious  kind  of 
a path ; sometimes  the  growth  covered  it  in  a 
perfect  tangle,  to  within  a foot  of  the  ground. 
Yet,  there  was  no  break,  no  turning  aside  of 
the  smooth,  plainly  marked  trail. 

“ Looks  curious,”  said  Jack,  trying  to  part 
the  long,  gray  moss  that  swung  from  the  oaks 
above  to  tangle  itself  in  the  growth  below. 
“ I’ll  wager  there  are  snakes  enough  in  here  if 
there  are  no  ’gator  eggs ; that's  what  I'll  do.” 


ON  THE  LAKE. 


HUNTING  ALLIGATOR  EGGS.  I I 7 

“Hush! ’’said  Joe.  “You  ought  to  know 
better  than  to  talk  about  such  things  out 
here.  If  you  are  afraid  — oh!  I heard  some- 
thing in  the  palmettoes  over  there.” 

It  was  Jack’s  turn  to  scoff. 

“ Scared  ? Who  is  scared,  I’d  like  to  know  ? ” 
said  he.  “ And  when  is  the  time  to  talk  about 
snakes,  if  it  isn’t  when  you’re  out  in  the  woods  ? 
Wait  till  you’re  in  bed  at  night,  I reckon.  Oh  ! 
Hush ! I heard  something,  too ; right  over 
there  in  that  jungle.  Let’s  turn  back. 
Mother  wouldn’t  like  this,  I’m  afraid.”  And 
the  little  Cracker  showed  a desire  to  retreat, 
and  that  too  without  “ standing  upon  the 
order  of  his  going.” 

“ Ought  to  have  thought  of  that  at  first,” 
said  James.  “Too  late  now,  and  hush!  I 
thought  I heard  a snort.” 

They  stopped  in  the  path  to  listen,  — there 
was  only  the  sough  of  the  wind,  in  the  palm- 
trees,  the  swaying  of  the  gray  moss,  the  occa- 
sional dropping  of  a wild  orange  in  the  tall, 
rank  grasses,  and  the  splashing  of  the  water 
against  the  island. 

“ I reckon  it  wasn’t  anything  worse  than  our 
consciences,”  said  James.  “Go,  on,  Joe;  push 
through,  and  let’s  get  the  eggs.  There’ll  be 


1 18 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


trouble  getting  back,  I’m  afraid,  if  we  don’t 
hurry.”  And  at  this  point  of  the  adventure 
James  took  the  lead.  The  others  fell  back, 
ready  to  follow,  but  not  ready  to  admit  that  each 
was  just  a little  afraid  of  their  grand  exploit. 

But,  at  every 
step  their 
courage  w7as 

O 

going;  the 
slightest  break 
in  the  under- 
brush caused 
them  to  start. 

bit  ran  across 
the  trail,  and 
Jack  gave  a 
quick,  startled 
cry. 

“Come  back!”  said  Joe.  “That’s  a bad 
sio-n ; the  worst  sism  in  the  world.  I heard 
William  say  it  was  ‘ shore  death  ’ for  a rabbit 
to  run  across  your  path.  Besides,  the  wind  is 
rising  more  and  more.  We’ll  never  get  home 
unless  w7e  start  now.” 

“ No  ; come  on,”  said  James.  “ We  must  get 
the  eggs  now.  Look  ! What  is  that  ? A pig- 


HUNTING  ALLIGATOR  EGGS.  II9 

pen,  all  covered  over  with  sticks.  How  did  it 
ever  get  here  ? And  what  is  that  in  it?  Oh  ! 
if  it  isn’t  — wait,  let’s  see  ! ” 

He  climbed  over  the  body  of  a fallen  tree, 
and,  pushing  through  a clump  of  dwarf  palmet- 
toes,  stopped  before  a kind  of  enclosure  very 
closely  resembling  that  which  he  had  supposed 
it  to  be,  — a pig’s  pen. 

The  others  leaned  over  the  fallen  tree  to 
watch,  with  eager  interest,  while  James  inves- 
tigated the  queer  structure  and  its  meaning. 

It  was  neither  square  nor  round,  merely  a 
collection  of  sticks,  moss,  and  dry  leaves, 
heaped  into  a kind  of  wall,  across  which  was 
laid  a great  heap  of  dry  brush,  so  concealing 
the  interior  of  the  pen  that  the  boys  did  not 
observe,  at  first  glance,  the  rich,  creamy  look- 
ing eggs,  larger  than  a hen’s  eggs,  smaller  than 
those  of  a goose,  with  which  it  was  literally 
filled. 

James  stood  a moment  over  the  pen,  peering 
into  the  brush,  wondering  what  on  earth  it 
could  mean.  Suddenly  he  straightened  him- 
self, turned  to  the  boys,  and  shouted  : 

“ It’s  the  alligator’s  nest!  It’s  the  alligator’s 
nest ! And  it’s  full  of  eggs!  Come  on  ! ” 

All  fear  was  instantly  forgotten ; all  danger, 


I 20 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


everything,  except  their  delight  in  the  newly 
found  treasure.  They  scrambled  over  the 
fallen  tree,  and  through  the  stinging  growth, 
laughing,  shouting,  totally  unconscious  of 
danger. 

The  alligator  had  laid  her  eggs  on  the  ground, 
depositing  them  in  the  warm  sunlight,  and  then 
covering  and  surrounding  them  with  brush  and 
leaves,  leaving  them  to  hatch,  while  she  took 
herself  back  to  the  water,  as  is  the  habit  of 
these  creatures. 

The  alligator  keeps  an  eye  on  the  eggs,  how- 
ever, and  comes  ashore  for  her  snooze,  near  the 
place  where  her  embryo  family  has  been  set  to 
hatch. 

The  Crackers  tore  away  the  brush,  and  be- 
gan, with  all  despatch,  to  rifle  the  nest. 

“ Where  shall  we  put  them?  ” cried  the  little 
Cracker.  “ There  are  so  many.” 

“ In  our  hats,”  said  James ; and  it  was  done, 
and  the  hats  filled  at  that,  so  quickly,  and  there 
were  still  so  many  left,  that  the  question  was 
again  raised  where  to  put  them.  “ In  our 
bosoms,”  said  James,  “ and  in  our  pockets.” 

And  when  this  was  done  and  a few  still 
remained,  Joe  cried  enough. 

“ We  will  have  to  leave  the  old  lady  a nest- 


HUNTING  ALLIGATOR  EGGS. 


I 2 I 


egg,  I reckon,”  said  he,  “ as  we  are  about 
loaded  for  all  we  can  carry.” 

“ No,”  said  Jack  ; “ let’s  not  leave  a single  one. 
Alligators  ain’t  no  good,  and  ought  to  be  de- 
stroyed, anyhow.  Let’s  put  these  in  the  boat 
and  come  back,  and  — hello  ! What’s  that  ? 
Oh,  Joe,  James!  Listen!  Oh,  what  is  it? 
Look,  look  ! ” 

A sound  that  made  their  very  hearts  stand 
still,  a sound  half  bellow,  half  roar,  like  the 
noise  of  an  angry  bull,  came  to  them  from 
the  jungle  through  which  they  had  passed  by 
the  little  path  concerning  which  they  had  so 
carelessly  speculated  only  a few  minutes  before. 

They  waited  an  instant,  and  then  they  saw 
the  horrid  head  appear  above  the  yellow  grass. 

“ It’s  the  old  she-alligator ! ” shouted  James. 
“And  she  is  coming  right  at  us.” 

“O  Lord!”  cried  Jack.  “Help  us  out  — 
this  time  — oh,  what  will  we  do?  O Lord, 
Help  us ! ” Nobody  jeered  this  time,  — the  hor- 
rid beast  was  too  near  ; and  coming  nearer,  com- 
ing straight  up  the  little  path,  her  own  individual 
work  that  path,  to  her  “ nest  ” on  the  island. 

In  all  their  lives  they  had  never  seen  any- 
thing so  angry,  so  terrible.  She  was  tearing  up 
the  very  earth  with  lashings  from  her  sharp 


122 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


tail.  In  a few  seconds  she  had  cleared  away 
the  strong,  wild  growth  about  her  as  effectually 
as  though  a sharp  blade  had  passed  over  it. 
When  she  beheld  the  boys  she  began  to  beat 
at  a strong  sapling  with  her  tail ; and  before 
she  ceased  the  tree  fell  to  the  ground,  actually 
cut  in  sunder.  Her  great  mouth,  with  its  hid- 
eous fangs,  opened  and  shut,  sending  forth  the 
most  unearthly  sounds. 

So  sudden  and  so  terrible  was  the  attack,  the 
Crackers  forgot  to  stir  ; but  stood  watching  the 
mad  alligator  with  a kind  of  helpless  fascina- 
tion, although  they  knew,  having  been  often 
told,  that  one  blow  from  the  creature’s  terrible 
tail  could  sweep  them  into  the  great  open 
jaws. 

Suddenly  she  turned,  paused  an  instant,  and 
then  James  shouted  to  the  boys  to  “ Run.” 

“ Run,”  he  cried,  “ to  the  boat!  This  way!  ” 
And,  following  his  leading,  they  plunged  into 
the  hammock,  beating  a wray  through  moss  and 
nettle  and  stinging  bamboo,  to  the  w?ater  at  a 
point  below  the  path  by  which  they  had  come, 
and  which  the  alligator  was  holding. 

It  was  a terrible  undertaking,  but  they  knew 
it  was  a choice  between  this  and  the  alligator’s 
jaws.  Life  and  death  hung  upon  their  move- 


HUNTING  ALLIGATOR  EGGS. 


I23 


ments,  and  the  knowledge  lent  them  both 
strength  and  courage. 

They  reached  the  boat  and  were  pulling  at 
the  chain  when  Jack  shouted,  as  he  leaped  in  : 

“ She  is  coming ! Quick!  Push  out!  She’ll 
overturn  the  boat  with  her  tail ! ” 

They  required  no  urging  to  “ push  out,”  and 
in  a moment  more  Joe  was  pulling  for  home, 
with  all  the  strength  of  his  young  arms. 

“ Let  me  have  an  oar,  Joe,”  said  James.  “ I 
feel  strong  enough  to  row  straight  out  to  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  while  that  thing  is  in  sight. 
Look,  oh,  look ! She'  is  splintering  that  tree 
with  her  tail.” 

Almost  afraid  to  stir,  lest  she  should  put  out 
after  them  and  overturn  the  boat,  the  boys 
glanced  back,  to  see  the  alligator,  still  bellow- 
ing and  snorting,  lashing  the  tree,  cutting  it  as 
with  an  axe,  by  her  furious  blows. 

“ Let’s  get  away  from  here,”  said  Jack.  “ My  ! 
but  ain’t  she  a terror  ? ” 

When  safely  away  from  the  island,  the  Crack- 
ers took  breath,  and  made  an  inventory  of  the 
remains  of  their  plunder.  The  eggs  had  suf- 
fered in  the  excitement. 

“ I had  thirty  when  I started,”  said  Joe. 

“ And  I had  twenty-three,”  said  Jack. 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


I 24 

“And  I twenty-seven,”  said  James.  “ Every 
one  in  my  bosom  is  smashed.  I’m  eggy  all 
over,  from  chin  to  toe.” 

“So  am  I,”  said  Joe;  “but  the  hat  is  all 
right ; there’s  but  one  broken  one  in  it.” 

“ I didn’t  put  any  in  my  bosom,”  said  Jack. 
“ I was  afraid  they  would  hatch.  Mother  says 
one  hatched  on  the  parlor-table  once,  up  at 
Uncle  James’s  house.” 

From  the  remains  they  counted  sixty-one 
eggs.  The  exploit  had  been,  in  one  sense,  a 
success ; yet  Jack  expressed  the  sentiments  of 
the  three  when  he  said : 

“ I’m  awful  glad  we’ve  got  the  eggs  to  show 
for  our  trip.  And  I’m  afraid  even  that  will  not 
quite  satisfy  mother.” 

A “ fear  ” that  agitated  each  little  breast  of 
them,  and  tended  to  blunt  the  edge  of  their 
triumph  no  little. 

“ Well,”  said  James,  as  the  boat  touched 
land,  and  the  treasures  were  lifted  carefully  out, 
“ we’ve  got  enough  eggs,  anyhow.” 

“Yes,”  said  Jack,  with  a chuckle,  “/have. 
I have  got  alligator  eggs  to  satisfy  me  for  a 
mighty  long  time,  / tell  you.” 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


JACKO  AND  THE  EGGS. 

The  Captain  and  his  wife  had  not  returned 
when  the  Crackers  reached  home.  But  William, 
who  had  missed  the  boat  and  suspected  the 
cause  of  its  disappearance,  told  them  they 
might  “just  expect  to  catch  it,”  when  they  did 
come  home. 

And  indeed  a suspicion  had  come  to  the 
culprits  that  they  deserved  to  “ catch  it,”  what- 
ever that  mysterious  term  might  mean. 

Who  shall  tell  mother?  That  was  the  ques- 
tion to  'be  decided  before  the  “ no-top  ” came 
home. 

Joe  declared  he  would  not , so  that  settled 
that,  “short  metre,”  James  said. 

“ I tell  you,”  said  Jack,  “ let’s  let  the  eggs 
tell  her.  Let’s  put  them  where  she  can  find 
them  first  thing,  and  then  she  will  be  so  sur- 
prised, she’ll  forget  to  be  angry  with  us  for 
going  out  against  orders.” 


126 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


So  they  decided  to  put  the  eggs  in  the  silver 
punch-bowl  that  had  belonged  to  their  great- 
great-grandmother,  and  had  probably  at  one 
time'been  used  for  serving  punch.  The  Mate, 

however,  did 
not  approve  of 
punch,  and  as 
the  bowl  was  not 
useful  as  a soup 
tureen,  she  kept 
it,  in  state,  on 
the  sideboard  in 
the  dining-room, 
“ to  be  admired,” 
and  “ to  collect 
dust.” 

The  boys  set 
the  bowl  in  the 
centre  of  the 
dining-table,  and 
filled  it  with  the 
creamy  alligator  eggs.  Pretty  eggs  they  were 
of  such  a dainty,  delicate  appearance  one 
almost  could  doubt  they  were  laid  by  the 
uncouth,  slimy  alligator. 

“ Sixty!  Five  good  dozen,”  said  Joe.  “ That 
ought  to  satisfy  anybody.” 


JACICO  AND  THE  EGGS. 


127 


As  if  ten  dozen  eggs,  or,  indeed,  any  number 
of  eggs,  could  compensate  for  an  act  of  wilful 
disobedience. 

“ Mother  likes  pretty  things,”  said  Jack, 
“ and  odd  things,  too.”  And  in  his  heart  he 
wished  he  could  present  the  “ pretty  things  ” 
to  her  with  an  open  face  and  a clean  con- 
science, and  with  some  hope  of  an  approving 
smile. 

“ Now,”  continued  the  little  Cracker,  “ let’s 
go  and  hide,  and  see  what  will  happen.” 

“ No,  sir,”  said  James,  “ I won’t  ‘ hide.’  That 
looks  too  much  like  a sneak.  I’ll  stand  at  the 
back  door  until  she  sees  the  eggs,  but  I won’t 
stand  a minute  longer.” 

Despite  his  good  resolve,  however,  the  buggy 
was  so  long  in  coming  that  James  allowed 
himself  to  be  persuaded  down  to  the  fish-pond, 
where  he  fell  in  with  the  “hands,”  who  were 
telling  great  stories  of  the  bears  and  panthers 
they  had  helped  to  kill  in  Alabama,  and 
he  forgot  all  about  the  eggs,  until  he  heard 
one  of  the  men  say  the  “ master  had  come 
home.” 

Immediately  he  rose,  gave  a nag  at  his 
courage,  and  set  out  for  the  house,  briskly, 
lest  the  courage  should  desert  him  before  he 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


I 28 

could  get  there.  It  certainly  did  take  a decided 
downward  turn,  when,  half  way  up  the  hill,  he 
met  the  Captain.  Anger  was  plainly  to  be 
seen  in  his  eyes,  as,  stopping  a moment,  he 
said,  in  a firm,  emphatic  way : 

“ Go  to  the  house  this  instant,  sir.  Where 
are  your  brothers  ? ” 

The  boy  gave  a timid  little  nod  towards 
the  pond.  “ Down  there,  sir,”  he  faltered,  and 
when  his  father  passed  on,  with  those  long, 
quick  strides  which  William  had  told  them 
always  “meant  something,”  James  concluded 
they  were  indeed  going  to  “catch  it,”  and  he 
set  out  for  the  house  as  fast  as  his  feet  could 
carry  him. 

To  confess;  that  was  his  one  chance,  he 
thought.  And  anyhow,  he  had  meant  to  do 
so  from  the  first;  only  he  forgot  it  in  listening 
to  the  neo-roes’  stories. 

O 

His  mother  was  standing  in  the  dining-room 
door,  her  hat  still  unremoved,  her  gloves  on, 
and  in  her  hands  the  silver  punch-bowl,  empty. 

If  the  Cracker  had  been  a very  great  student 
of  faces,  he  might  have  discovered  that,  under 
all  that  exceedingly  severe  air  with  which  the 
Mate  was  waiting  to  receive  him,  there  were 
unmistakable  signs  of  a laugh,  that  required 


JACKO  AND  THE  EGGS. 


I29 


all  the  Mate’s  will  force  to  keep  under  and  out 
of  sight. 

James  only  saw  the  empty  bowl  and  the 
severe  manner,  however,  and  these  frightened 
him  almost  as  much  as  the  old  alligator  had 
done,  whose  nest  he  had  helped  to  plunder. 

“ Oh,  mother,”  he  began,  “ I meant  to  come 
right  in  and  tell  you,  and  I for — ” 

“ Go  in  there,  sir,”  said  the  Mate,  stepping 
outside,  and  pointing  within  the  dining-room. 

Once  in,  what  a spectacle  met  him  ! 

The  room  seemed  to  be  literally  painted 
with  es^s.  The  five  dozen  that  had  been 
placed  in  the  punch-bowl  to  “ surprise  ” the 
Mate,  had  surprised  her  from  the  walls  instead. 
There  was  egg  on  the  floor,  egg  on  the  win- 
dows, egg  on  the  doors  and  mantel,  the  side- 
board, the  walls,  the  very  ceiling  itself.  The 
long  mirror  above  the  mantel  was  streaked 
with  egg  from  top  to  bottom,  while  a zigzag, 
ragged  crack  crossed,  diagonally,  the  smooth, 
beautiful  glass.  The  vases  on  the  mantel  lay 
on  the  floor  in  a hundred  or  more  tiny  pieces ; 
the  castor  cruets  were  emptied  on  the  carpet, 
the  salt  and  pepper  had  disappeared,  there 
were  three  broken  window-panes,  and  full, 
square  on  the  nose  of  the  Governor  of  Ala- 


130 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


bama,  that  hung  upon  the  wall,  was  a great 
yellow  blotch  of  alligator  egg. 

James  held  his  breath  before  the  fearful 
wreck  and  ruin. 

“ Oh,  mother,  who  did  it  ? What  does  it 
mean  ? ” he  managed  to  say,  when  the  full  ex- 
tent of  the  mischief  dawned  upon  him. 

“ It  began,”  replied  the  Mate,  “ in  an  act  of 
disobedience  on  the  part  of  three  boys  who 
knew  better.  The  finishing  touches  were  given 
by  Jacko, — a poor  little  monkey  who  broke 
his  chain,  but  who  knew  no  better.  The  mon- 
key received  a sound  whipping  for  his  part  of 
the  mischief.  Can  you  tell  what  ought  to  be 
done  with  the  boys  ? ” 

And  then  the  Cracker  said  the  very  thing 
of  all  things,  innocently  to  be  sure,  to  ensure 
himself  against  the  punishment  Jacko  had 
received. 

“ Oh,  mother,  whip  us  ! ” he  sobbed.  “ Give 
us  all  three  a good  whipping ; we  need  it. 
And  we  are  so  sorry,  and  we  want  to  be 
whipped,  and  — and  — and  forgiven.” 

And  the  Cracker  put  his  arms  around  the 
Mate’s  neck,  and  cried  for  very  shame. 

Half  an  hour  later,  three  little  Crackers  in 
three  long  aprons  (and  with  three  long  faces), 


JACKO  AND  THE  EGGS.  . 1 3 1 

each  with  a rag  and  a basin  of  water,  were 
down  upon  their  knees  scouring  the  carpet. 

That  done,  the  Mate  had  them  bring  a step- 
ladder  and  wipe  off  the  walls,  where  Jacko  had 
spattered  the  logs  with  eggs.  Then  the  win- 
dows were  washed,  and  the  doors.  The  big 
mirror  they  were  not  required  to  clean.  The 
Mate  declared  “ one  monkey  was  quite  enough 
when  it  came  to  polishing  the  mirror.” 

And  when  all  was  done,  the  three  little 
Crackers  went  off  in  the  grove,  and  told  each 
other  they  would  have  “ much  preferred  a 
whipping  like  Jacko  got  to  the  aprons  and 
wash-rags'' 

After  supper  they  heard  the  Mate  telling 
the  Captain  about  Jacko’s  antics.  The  Mate 
had  no  idea  they  were  listening,  so'  she  told  it 
in  her  very  funniest  style  ; and  the  Captain 
laughed  until  his  long  beard  fairly  shook. 

“He  was  standing  in  the  centre  of  the  table 
when  I opened  the  door,”  said  the  Mate, 
“ the  punch-bowl  at  his  right  hand,  which 
held  an  egg.  He  did  not  hear  me  open  the 
door,  and  for  a moment  I was  too  startled  to 
stir. 

“ A delightful  grin  was  on  his  face,  as  he 
turned  the  egg  in  his  hand,  then  hurled  it,  with 


1 32 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


all  his  strength,  against  the  window-pane. 
Another  and  another,  as  quick  as  lightning. 
When  I called  out,  sharply,  ‘Jacko!’  he  gave 
one  hurried  glance  at  the  door  where  I stood, 
dived  into  the  punch-bowl,  seized  the  last 
remaining  egg,  and  sent  it  at  the  Governor’s 
nose,  with  the  precision  of  an  Indian  sharp- 
shooter. The  last  egg — as  if  determined  not 

to  lose  one  shot ! 
Then  he  turned  to 
me,  began  to  rub 
his  stomach  and  cry. 
When  he  found  I 
intended  to  punish 
him  he  broke  away, 
seized  the  coffee- 
urn,  and  ran  up  to 
the  comb  of  the 
kitchen  roof,  where 
William  had  to  climb  and  bring  him  down.” 
The  boys  heard  the  story  through,  laughing 
under  their  breath.  However,  the  adventure 
had  its  other  side  which,  as  yet,  they  had  not 
had  the  courage  to  disclose,  — that  is,  the 
attack  of  the  alligator. 

The  Mate  brought  about  the  story  of  their 
fright  and  danger  before  the  evening  was  over, 


JACKO  AND  THE  EGGS.  1 33 

very  innocently  on  her  part,  very  effectually  on 
theirs. 

“Joe,”  she  said,  when  the  family  had 
gathered  in  the  sitting-room  for  the  evening 
chat,  or  reading,  “ what  is  that  spot  on  your 
bosom  ? ” 

Joe  glanced  down  at  the  white  waist  where 
the  telltale  spot  seemed,  as  he  looked,  to  grow 
larger  and  larger. 

“ Egg,”  said  he,  dropping  his  face  over  the 
story  of  Columbus  he  was  reading. 

“ Egg  ? Come  here,”  and  the  Mate  opened 
the  waist  and  found  such  a spatter  of  dry  egg 
and  powered  shell,  that  she  puckered  up  her 
face,  and  exclaimed : 

“ Why,  you  look  like  an  unwashed  frying- 
pan  ! How  did  this  happen  ? Out  with  the 
whole  story ! ” 

And  “out  with”  it  Joe  did,  not  omitting 
anything,  for  the  Crackers  were  truthful  if 
sometimes  disobedient. 

There  were  two  very  sober  faces  when  the 
boys  finished  their  story.  And  when  they 
kissed  the  Mate  good  night,  an  hour  later, 
they  were  wiser  (and  cleaner)  boys,  for  they 
had  seen  a tear  on  the  Mate’s  cheek.  And 
they  knew  that  she  knelt  at  her  prayers  a 


134 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


longer  time  than  usual  that  night.  And  when, 
supposing  them  to  be  asleep,  she  went  in  to 
kiss  them  again,  they  heard  her  whisper,  “ My 
boys,  my  own  darlings.” 

They  lay  very  still  until  she  went  out ; then 
Joe  lifted  himself  on  his  elbow,  and,  leaning  out 
of  bed,  called  to  James,  who  was  sleeping  with 
Jack,  and  said,  in  a sharp  whisper: 

“ Say,  I do  hope  this  will  not  get  to  the  ears 
of  Jake  Joiner.” 

“ Nor  to  Aunt  Lizzie’s,”  James  whispered 
back  in  reply. 

Which  “hopes,”  however,  proved  to  be 
altogether  vain. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TO  THE  WITHLACOOCHEE  RIVER. 

One  morning,  when  the  three  little  Crackers 
were  trying  to  persuade  their  mother  that  it 
was  the  season  of  the  year  when  deer-meat 
was  most  to  be  desired,  and  “bears  ought  to  be 
killed,  anyhow,”  and  that  they  were  confident 
Mr.  Joiner  would  go  hunting  with  them  but 
for  the  asking,  the  Captain  came  upon  the 
scene  and,  unwittingly,  settled  the  matter  for 
them ; and  that,  too,  in  a matter  far  more  satis- 
factory than  they  could  have  hoped  to  settle  it 
themselves. 

“ Sue,”  said  he  to  the  Mate,  “ Joiner  tells  me 
there  is  phosphate,  and  gypsum  also,  on  the 
tract  of  land  on  the  Withlacoochee  River, 
which  I spoke  of  buying.  If  it  is  true  I should 
be  sorry  to  lose  the  trade,  for  Florida  will  need 
all  the  fertilizers  she  can  set  in  the  cominsr 
years.  Gypsum  and  phosphate  will  hold  their 
own  by  and  by.  I was  thinking  it  might  be 


J3S 


136 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


pleasant  to  take  the  wagon,  and  provisions 
enough  for  a week’s  outing,  and  all  go  over  for 
a kind  of  business-pleasure  trip.  The  boys 
would  enjoy  it;  there  is  splendid  hunting, — 
deer,  bear,  and  panthers  — ” 

“ Panthers  ! ” The  Crackers  had  maintained 
a respectful  silence  until  the  magic  word, 
“ panthers ,”  was  spoken.  Deer,  bear,  and  even 
wildcats  had  become  almost  a monotony.  But 
panthers  — 

“ Oh,  father,  let  us  ! Do  let  us  ! ” A triple 
shout  went  up  when  the  Captain  replied : 

“ I see  no  reason  why  you  should  not  if  your 
mother  agrees.” 

“ But  the  camping  ? ” said  the  Mate.  “ We 
have  no  tent,  and,  as  Mr.  Joiner  says,  ‘no 
nothink  ’ for  camping.  And  where  is  the 
Withlacoochee,  anyhow,  and  how  far  away  are 
the  phosphate  fields,  my  Captain,  before  I give 
my  consent?  ” 

“ The  Withlacoochee  is  a river,”  said  the 
Captain. 

“ A stream  of  water  flowing  through  the 
land,”  the  Mate  interrupted.  “ Go  on.” 

“It  is  some  fifty  miles  to  the  phosphate 
fields ; it  will  require  two  days  in  which  to 
make  the  trip.  Joiner  is  going  along  as  pilot. 


TO  THE  WITHLACOOCHEE  RIVER. 


137 


There  is  a deserted  cabin  on  the  place  in 
which  he  says  we  can  ‘ take  up,’  although 
there  is  no  ‘ chimbly,’  and  we  will  be  compelled 
to  do  our  cooking  outside,  camp  fashion. 
There  will  be  plenty  of  fish  and  wild  meat, 
and  we  will  carry  a supply  of  coffee,  corn  meal, 
and  tin  cups.” 

“ It  does  sound  tempting,”  declared  the 
Mate.  “ Only,  when  the  hunters  are  off  on 
the  chase,  suppose  a panther  should  run  off 
with  the  cook  ? ” 

“ I have  provided  company  for  ‘ the  cook,’  ” 
said  the  Captain.  “ If  you  consent  to  go, 
Joiner  will  take  his  team  over,  and  in  that  case 
Mrs.  Joiner  and  her  boys  will  go  along.” 

“Mrs.  Joiner  will  be  an  addition,”  said  the 
Mate,  “ but  I am  not  so  sure  about  the  boys. 
They  always  seem  to  succeed  in  ruffling  the 
feathers  of  my  three  little  Crackers,  who  do 
not  seem  disposed  to  bear  with  them,  or  to 
recollect  that  the  Joiners  have  had  scant 
opportunity  for  polishing  those  points  of 
honor  commonly  known  as  truth,  honesty, 
and  cleanliness.” 

The  Mate  seemed  very  doubtful  indeed, 
the  Crackers  thought,  as  to  the  expediency  of 
such  a combination  of  companions.  But  the 


138  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

boys  did  such  vigorous  insisting,  and  made 
such  large  promises,  that  consent  was  finally 
obtained. 

They  were  to  start  early  the  following 
morning,  so  they  began  preparations  at  once. 
A sack  of  coffee  was  parched  and  ground,  a 
sack  of  meal  prepared,  and  another  of  brown 
sugar  (the  Mate  declared  hunters  never  expected 
white  sugar,  and  that  reconciled  the  Crackers 
to  the  muddy  “ Fluridy  brown  ”).  A number 
of  tin  pans,  tin  cups,  a large  boiler,  and  a 
water-pail.  Then  there  was  a “skillet”  for 
frying  fish,  a hoe  for  breaking  corn  bread,  some 
knives  and  forks,  bedding,  straw  to  sleep  on, 
corn  for  the  horses,  and  then  came  the  question 
of  packing. 

Mr.  Joiner  agreed  to  “fotch  the  horse-feed” 
in  his  wagon,  “ if  the  Cap’n  could  load  the 
rest.”  The  “ Cap’n  ” thought  he  could,  and 
so  the  division  of  plunder  was  affected. 

The  Crackers  were  jubilantly  impatient;  they 
polished  their  guns,  packed  a lot  of  fishing- 
tackle,  and  still  the  day  was  not  more  than 
half  over. 

“ S’posin’  we  help  mother,”  said  James. 
“ That  will  make  the  time  go.  Besides,  I 
heard  her  say  there  was  so  much  to  be  done 


TO  THE  WITIILACOOCIiEE  RIVER. 


1 39 


she  didn’t  see  how  she  could  get  ready  in  a 
day.” 

So  they  ran  off  to  offer  their  services  to  the 
Mate,  who  soon  found,  indeed,  that  three  pairs 
of  nimble  hands  and  willing  feet  helped  won- 
derfully towards  lessening  her  own  steps,  and 
hastening  matters  for  an  early  start. 

For  instance,  she  had  only  to  say,  “ Bring  me 
the  cups,  Jack,”  or  “ Now  the  salt,  Joe,”  as  she 
knelt  before  the  big  box  that  was  to  carry  their 
provisions,  and  afterwards  serve  as  eating-table 
to  the  camp.  But  for  the  Crackers  she  would 
have  had  to  go  to  the  pantry  for  the  things 
herself ; for  no  Florida  housekeeper  ever  calls 
a hand  from  the  field  to  do  the  work  about  the 
house.  And  the  cook  was  busy  preparing  the 
regular  family  dinner,  in  addition  to  a lunch 
for  the  travellers  next  day.  For  the  Captain 
said  they  would  only  stop  at  noon  long  enough 
to  eat  a cold  lunch  and  feed  the  horses.  This 
was  necessary  if  they  expected  to  reach  a point 
on  the  road  where  there  was  a spring,  beside 
which  they  were  to  camp  for  the  night. 

It  was  ten  o’clock  at  night  before  the  final 
arrangements  were  made,  the  last  orders 
given. 

“ Air  the  house  every  day,  William ; feed 


140 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


Polly,  keep  an  eye  on  Jacko;  don’t  let  Bijou 
go  in  the  lake.” 

To  all  of  which  William  had  replied,  again 
and  again:  “Yessum;  yessum ; yessum.” 

There  were  three  very  tired  little  Crackers 
to  creep  into  bed  that  night,  and  still  sleep  re- 
fused to  come ; more  than  once  the  Mate  had 
called  out  from  the  sitting-room  : 

“ Boys,  remember  you  must  rise  early  to-mor- 
row, — leave  off  talking,  now,  and  go  to  sleep.” 

And  she  supposed  they  had  obeyed  long  ago, 
when  suddenly  Jack’s  voice  called  out,  sharply: 

“ Mother,  oh,  mother ! Do  you  reckon  the 
blind  mare  and  the  bell  will  go  to  Withla- 
coochee  ? ” 

There  was  a smothered  titter  from  the  bed- 
room, which  told  that  the  Crackers  had  not  for- 
gotten, for  one  moment,  in  slumber,  the  exciting 
prospects  of  the  morrow. 

At  daybreak,  the  Captain  aroused  the  fam- 
ily, and  an  hour  or  two  later  the  boys  followed 
their  mother  into  a wagon,  where  William  had 
spread  the  straw  that  was  to  be  their  beds  for 
the  next  week. 

The  Captain  climbed  to  his  place,  and  took 
the  lines. 

“We  are  to  meet  the  Joiners  at  ‘the  far 


PACKING. 


TO  THE  WITHLACOOCHEE  RIVER. 


r43 


grove,’  ” said  the  Captain,  “ at  the  point  where 
the  road  to  their  cabin  crosses  the  main  road.” 

The  Mate  was  in  high  spirits,  and  this  en- 
couraged the  boys  to  as  much  shouting  and 
talking  as  their  capacity  would  permit. 

Soon  “ the  far  grove  ” was  reached ; and 
there,  in  the  road,  headed  for  the  Withla- 
coochee,  stood  the  Joiner  “turnout.” 

“ Pa,  ma,  the  kids,  the  old  blind  mare,  bell 
and  all,”  said  Jack,  who  was  immediately  re- 
minded of  his  promises  concerning  the  Joiners. 

“ Mornin’ ; mornin’,  folkses,”  was  the  greet- 
ing from  the  wagon,  to  which  the  Captain,  the 
Mate,  and  the  Crackers  promptly  responded, 
and  the  procession  fell  into  line  for  the  With- 
lacoochee. 

It  was  a beautiful  drive,  through  forests  of 
blooming  magnolia,  rustling  palm,  and  fes- 
tooned oak. 

At  noon  the  wagons  were  drawn  up  beside 
a pool  of  clear  water,  “a  pond”  Mr.  Joiner 
called  it,  where  the  horses  were  fed  and  rested, 
while  the  travellers  ate  their  lunch. 

The  Mate  had  insisted  upon  having  sole  care 
of  the  larder,  so  that  the  poor  family  need  feel 
no  chagrin  in  not  furnishing  their  part. 

“You  are  our  guests,”  the  Captain  had  told 


144 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


them ; “ and,  therefore,  since  you  are  going 
merely  to  oblige  me,  I shall  insist  upon 
shouldering  the  entire  expense  of  the  expedi- 
tion.” 

“ All  right,  Cap’n,”  was  the  reply,  and  so  it 
chanced  the  family  did  not  find  themselves 
forced  to  sit  down  to  a dinner  of  Cracker  bread 
and  potatoes  along  with  their  good  things.  In- 
stead, there  were  pickles  and  eggs,  boiled  hams 
and  light  bread,  cold  chicken,  jelly,  and  pound- 
cake. 

“ The  last  you  will  see  for  a week,”  said  the 
Mate,  as  she  passed  the  cake  around.  “ Hunt- 
ers do  not  expect  to  live  on  pound-cake  and 
guava  jelly.” 

“ Now  that  am  a fac’,”  declared  Mr.  Joiner. 
“ Cake  and  reesens  is  for  the  rich,  I reckint. 
I’ll  take  another  bite,  mu’m,  if  you  please.” 

The  “ bite  ” was  given,  in  the  form  of  a large 
slice,  the  process  repeated  with  the  wife  and 
sons,  and  then  the  Mate  inquired  for  the 
spring. 

“ Thar  hain’t  no  ‘ spring,’  mu’m,”  said  the 
Cracker ; “ but  ef  hit’s  the  pond  ye’re  wantin’, 
thar’s  hit'.'  And  he  pointed  over  his  shoulder 
to  the  pretty,  silver-like  pool  at  which  the 
horses  had  quenched  their  thirst. 


TO  THE  WITHLACOOCIIEE  RIVER. 


H5 


“ A ‘ pond  ? ’ ” cried  the  Mate.  “ Don’t  call 
that  pretty  pool  a ‘pond,’  Mr.  Joiner.  It  is  a 
lakelet.  A lakelet  is  a small  lake.” 

“ I see,”  said  the  Cracker.  “ Jest  so.  A 
lakelet  air  a little  lake.  I ull  rickerlict  that.” 
About  ten  minutes  later  a cow,  one  of  the 
half  wild  Florida  cows,  that  had  evidently  es- 
caped to  the  woods,  and  had  been  living  upon 
the  moss  and  other  wild  growth  of  the  ham- 
mocks, came  down  to  the  pool  for  water.  At 
her  heels,  a topsyturvy,  rickety-looking  calf 
was  following. 

“ Why,”  exclaimed  the  Mate,  “ if  yonder  isn’t 
a cow!  ” 

“An’  a cowlet,  too,”  added  Mr.  Joiner,  in 
a dry,  drawling  tone.  The  Mate  stared  a 
moment,  then  said,  bluntly: 

“ A what  ?" 

“ A cowlet,  mu’m,”  was  the  reply.  “ Ef  a 
little  lake  air  a lakelet,  I ’lowed  a little  cow 
ware  obleeged  to  be  a cowlet.” 

At  which  the  company  laughed  so  heartily 
the  Mate  was  forced  to  own  herself  “ defeated 
for  once.” 

When  the  laugh  had  subsided,  the  Captain 
gave  orders  for  moving  on ; the  teams  were 
put  in  order,  the  lunch,  or  its  remains,  packed 


146  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

away,  and  again  the  procession  headed  for  the 
Withlacoochee. 

It  was  near  sunset  when  they  stopped  again, 
and  camped  for  the  night. 

It  was  not  until  the  fire  was  made,  the 
kettle  filled  from  the  spring,  set  to  boil,  and 
the  horses  fed  and  tethered,  that  the  real  fun 
of  the  trip  began. 

Mrs.  Joiner  and  the  Mate  made  preparations 
for  supper  while  the  Captain,  the  boys,  and 
Mr.  joiner  took  their  poles  and  tramped  off 
to  the  “ Run  ” after  trout. 

“ Hit  ain’t  more’n  a half  mile,”  Mr.  Joiner 
declared,  “ an’  we-uns  kin  pick  up  a passel  o’ 
trouit  in  no  time.” 

So  off  they  went,  returning,  sure  enough,  in 
a little  while,  with  a string  of  fish,  ready  scaled 
and  dressed  for  the  broiler. 

Soon  the  odors  of  broiled  fish,  corn  bread, 
and  hot  coffee  gave  interest  to  proceedings. 

The  interest  increased  amazingly  when  the  > 
tin  plates  and  cups  were  brought  out,  and  all 
gathered  about  the  cheery  camp-fire  to  ex- 
change jokes  and  to  eat  their  supper. 

There  was  no  table  spread ; each  took  his 
plate  on  his  knee,  his  tin  cup  in  his  hand,  and 
there  was  no  further  ceremony  expected  after 


TO  THE  WITHLACOOCHEE  RIVER. 


147 


the  Captain,  with  bowed  head,  had  stood  up 
and  given  thanks  for  the  meal  taken  in  the 

O 

wilderness. 

The  three  little  Crackers  were  hungry  as 
wolves,  yet  they  could  scarcely  eat  for  discuss- 
ing the  wonderful  exploits  they  had  been  plan- 
ning during  the  entire  journey. 

They  found  ready  comrades  in  the  Joiner 
boys  ; for  whatever  may  be  said  as  to  the  dotibt- 
ful  qualities  of  this  couple,  they  possessed  one 
trait  concerning  which  there  was  not  the  faint- 
est shadow  of  a doubt:  as  their  father  had  said 
of  them,  they  certainly  were  “venturesome.” 
The  three  little  Crackers  found  them  ready  to 
enter  into  all  their  plans  for  hunting  deer,  bear, 
and  even  the  “ wild  painters,”  the  killing  of 
which  was  to  be  the  chief  feather  in  the  cap 
of  the  young  hunters. 

When  the  matter  had  been  discussed  in  all 
its  varied  lights,  a question  was  suddenly 
sprung  by  Cracker  Jack,  which  for  a moment 
threatened  to  seriously  interfere  with  their 
arrangements. 

“ Why,”  said  he,  “ you  haven’t  got  any  gun  ; 
how  can  you  kill  panthers  without  a gun  ? ” 

For  a moment  the  question  rather  staggered 
the  two,  but,  with  his  usual  agility,  Jake  leaped 


148  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

into  the  breach  which  was  immediately  spanned 
by  the  startling  rejoinder  : 

“ Borry  yo-en.” 

“ No,  you  won’t,”  declared  the  little  Cracker, 
promptly.  “ You  needn’t  set  up  to  that,  for  I 
say  you  won’t.” 

“ Jack ! ” the  Mate’s  voice  broke  in  upon  the 
dispute;  only  that  one  word,  “Jack,”  but  the  little 
Cracker  understood  that  it  was  intended  to  say : 
“ Remember  your  promise  concerning  these 
boys  : no  disputes,  no  ridiculing,  but  charity , 
charity , charity , for  their  ignorance.” 

No  more  was  said  about  the  guns  that  night, 
but  the  matter  lay  heavy  on  the  little  Cracker's 
heart  until  the  women  began  arranging  the 
wagons  for  sleeping.  In  the  novelty  and  ex- 
citement of  these  arrangements,  all  differences 
were  forgotten.  And  soon  the  little  Cracker, 
after  kneeling  upon  the  sand  a moment,  his 
boyish  face  resting  against  the  hub  of  the  wagon 
wheel,  crept  into  the  wagon,  and  lay  down  in 
the  straw  beside  his  mother  to  sleep. 

The  Captain,  with  Joe  and  James,  had  his 
pallet  under  the  wagon,  while  on  the  other  side 
the  camp-fire  the  Joiner  family  had  made  their 
beds  and  settled  themselves  for  the  night  in  the 


same  manner. 


TO  THE  WITHLACOOCHEE  RIVER. 


149 


Soon  the  little  company  were  fast  asleep, 
with  only  the  stars  to  keep  watch,  while  in 
their  dreams  they  still  could  hear  the  tinkle  of 
water,  the  muffled  music  of  the  “ Run,”  seeking 
the  more  distant  Withlacoochee. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CAMP  LIFE  ON  THE  WITIILACOOCHEE. 

The  phosphate  was  all  it  had  been  repre- 
sented ; when  the  Captain  had  made  sure  of 
that,  which  he  did  the  very  first  thing  after 
going  into  camp,  he  gave  himself  up  fully  to 
the  enjoyment  of  the  holiday. 

Mrs.  Joiner  and  the  Mate  prepared  the  fish 
that  were  brought  in  from  the  river,  and  the 
“ wild  meat  ” brought  down  in  the  “ swam- 
mocks.” 

One  morning- the  men  and  boys  gave  notice 
they  would  not  return  until  sunset,  as  they  had 
found  the  tracks  of  a panther  in  the  forest,  and 
they  wished  to  track  it  to  its  lair. 

So  the  women  made  themselves  comfortable 
in  camp,  not  at  all  uneasy  as  to  the  panther, 
since  the  hunters  had  succeeded  in  killing  noth- 
ing so  far  more  formidable  than  a wildcat,  two 
“ ’possums,”  and  a bear  or  two. 

There  was  an  Indian  mound  a short  distance 


150 


A PHOSPHATE  MINE. 


CAMP  LIFE  ON  THE  WITHLACOOCHEE.  1 53 

from  camp,  and  the  Mate  had  succeeded  in 
arousing  Mrs.  Joiner’s  interest  concerning  the 
curiosities  that  were  hidden  there. 

Every  day  they  spent  a portion  of  their  lei- 
sure hours  “ digging  ” for  relics. 

They  had  brought  neither  hoe  nor  pick,  so 
there  was  nothing  with  which  to  dig  except 
sticks,  and  the  iron  shovel  that  had  been  found 
in  the  old  cabin. 

Their  excavations  were,  therefore,  necessarily 
slow,  although  promising. 

The  Mate  was  firm  in  her  belief  that  gold 
was  to  be  found  if  they  would  but  dig  deep 
enough  down  for  it. 

She  had  found  a skull,  several  implements 
for  cooking,  arrow-heads,  and  several  handfuls 
of  beads.  The  beads,  which  were  of  varied 
size  and  color,  were  scattered  among  the  bones, 
and  seemed  to  have  been  strung  without  regard 
to  size  or  style.  There  were  hundreds  of  tiny 
blue  beads,  green  beads,  and  white.  Then  there 
were  larger  ones,  that  appeared  to  have  been 
formed  with  a knife,  or  some  sharp  instrument, 
out  of  a white,  chalky-looking  substance.  They 
were  found  to  be  very  hard,  however,  and  could 
not  be  easily  broken. 

The  women  would  gather  a handful  of  dirt, 


154 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


and  out  of  this  pick  the  beads,  which  were 
strung  and  put  away  among  the  Mate’s  relics. 

There  was  another  hindrance,  however,  to 
their  explorations.  The  mound  was  a trifle 
too  far  from  the  cabin  to  ensure  perfect  safety 
against  the  bears,  which  could  be  heard  con- 
stantly, ripping  open  the  palmettoes  for  their 
cabbage. 

They  had  “ no  fancy  for  being  caught  in  a 
hole  in  the  ground  by  a big,  hungry  bear.” 
Especially  were  they  afraid  when  “ the  hole  ” 
became  of  such  depth  that  there  was  much 
difficulty  to  be  found  in  getting  out  of  it. 

True,  they  dug  steps  to  the  top,  but  these 
could  only  be  climbed  by  the  combined  efforts 
of  hands  and  feet;  so  a hungry  bear  would,  as 
the  Mate  said,  have  time  for  a jolly  good 
feast  before  the  explorers  could  reach  the  top 
of  the  flight. 

So,  as  the  Mate  said,  too,  they  were  forced 
to  watch,  as  well  as  work.  And,  finally,  it  was 
decided  that  one  of  the  boys  must  remain  at 
home  every  day  and  watch  for  bears,  while  the 
explorers  dug  for  treasures. 

The  boys  rebelled,  you  may  be  sure  of  that. 
But  rebellion  had  no  effect.  They  were  to 
take  it  “ turn  about  ” on  “ picket  duty.” 


CAMP  LIFE  ON  THE  WITHLACOOCHEE.  1 55 

It  was  Cracker  Jack’s  turn  to  watch  on  the 
morning  of  the  panther  hunt,  but,  by  spe- 
cial vote,  he  was  excused  for  that  day.  The 
women  agreed  to  let  him  off,  — they  would 
trust  to  their  ears,  their  steps,  and  their  feet 
one  day. 

“ But  you  must  be  picket  to-morrow,”  the 
Mate  informed  him,  and,  as  “to-morrow”  al- 
ways seems  vague  and  distant  to  the  juvenile 
mind,  Cracker  Jack  readily  consented. 

t There*  were  no  new  developments  in  the 
digging  that  morning,  and  the  noise  in 
the  palmettoes  became  a trifle  too  distinct 
to  be  entirely  pleasant ; so  at  noon  the 
mound  was  abandoned  for  the  day. 

“ I believe  every  bear  in  the  country  knows 
we  are  alone  to-day,”  the  Mate  declared,  as  she 
“ pulled  up  ” by  the  “ steps  in  the  wall.” 

“ Shouldn’t  wonder,”  was  the  ready  response, 
and  the  usual  response,  from  the  woman  in  the 
rear ; “ the  Mate’s  convert  to  the  antique,” 
the  Captain  called  her,  on  the  sly. 

When  they  had  cooked  and  eaten  their  din- 
ner, they  found  time  hanging  a little  heavy  on 
their  hands,  and  so  the  Mate  proposed  they 
go  fishing. 

“ Perhaps  we’ll  hook  a trout  for  our  hunt- 


156  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

ers’  supper,”  she  said,  receiving  the  usual 
reply  of,  “ Shouldn’t  wonder.” 

They  fished  for  three  hours,  and  caught 
nothing.  Then  the  Mate  lost  patience. 

“ Let’s  go,”  she  exclaimed.  “ I believe  the 
fish  know  we  are  women.” 

“ Shouldn’t  wonder,”  laughed  Mrs.  Joiner, 
“ an’  we  ain’t  got  no  more  worrems,  any- 
ways.” 

“Well,”  said  the  Mate,  “if  the  bait  is  all 
gone,  we  will  have  to  stop,  whether  or  no. 
Let’s  see  now,” — with  a glance  at  the  sun, 
— “ suppose  we  walk  down  to  the  river  bank, 
and  look  for  the  hunters.  It  will  soon  be 
sunset,  see.” 

Carrying  their  rods  with  them,  they  started 
down  the  river  bank  to  meet  the  hunters. 

Down  the  river  bank  did  not  mean  they 
were  to  find  a pleasant  stroll  along  the  water’s 
edge.  Near  the  water  was  swamp  land,  stud- 
ded with  lettuce  and  wild  lilies.  Some  hun- 
dred yards  back,  beyond  the  strip  of  hammock 
that  bordered  the  swamp,  stretched  an  open, 
sandy  way,  from  which  the  silvery  gleam  of 
the  water  could  be  seen  through  the  trees  and 
undergrowth.  This  was  the  “ walk  along  the 
river  bank.” 


CAMP  LIFE  ON  THE  WITHLACOOCHEE.  1 57 

Beyond  this  they  expected  the  hunters  to 
emerge  from  the  dense,  almost  unbroken  for- 
est into  which  no  coaxing  could  induce  the 
women  to  enter. 

The  sun  was  still  shining,  the  cabin  in  sight 
and  easy  reach,  and  the  hunters,  doubtless,  were 
on  their  way  home.  There  was  no  thought  of 
fear  in  the  heart  of  either,  as  the  two  wives 
strolled  carelessly  along  through  the  sand  to 
meet  their  husbands  and  sons. 

Suddenly,  from  the  narrow  strip  of  ham- 
mock between  them  and  the  river,  issued  a 
cry,  — a shrill,  sharp  cry,  so  weirdly  human, 
yet  so  strangely  unearthly,  that  it  seemed  to 
chill  the  very  blood  in  their  veins,  as  they 
listened. 

There  is  but  one  animal  on  earth  can  utter 
that  weird,  wild,  half  human  cry.  The  two 
women  instinctively  understood  that  it  was 
the  cry  of  the  panther  the  men  had  been  chas- 
ing all  day.  The  creature  had  doubtless  left 
the  jungle,  and  sought  shelter  in  the  less 
suspected  covert. 

Too  frightened  to  move,  they  stood  for  a 
moment  with  their  eyes  fixed  upon  the  ham- 
mock, expecting  to  see  the  terrible  beast 
spring  from  its  hiding-place.  There  was  a 


158  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

stir  in  the  undergrowth,  — again  that  inhuman 
cry,  — and  both  women  dropped  their  fishing- 
rods,  and  ran  for  the  camp  as  for  life. 

Truly,  there  was  a great  story  to  tell  that 
night  while  they  sat  around  the  camp-fire, 
having  had  their  supper  of  wild  game,  corn 
bread,  and  black  coffee. 

The  men  were  disposed  to  doubt.  “Jest  a 
wil’cat,  I reckint,”  was  Mr.  Joiner’s  comment, 
while  the  Captain  said  nothing,  but  “looked 
mighty  wise,”  the  Mate  thought. 

The  three  little  Crackers,  however,  had  not 
a particle  of  doubt  as  to  the  animal  that  had 
frightened  their  mother.  They  were  as  posi- 
tive it  was  a panther  as  that  they  existed,  and 
they  were  fully  resolved,  among  themselves, 
before  retiring  to  their  straw  pallets,  that  they 
would  take  a hunt  on  the  morrow,  on  their 
own  responsibility,  the  little  Cracker  having 
forgotten  entirely  that  it  was  his  day  to  do 
sentinel  duty  at  the  Indian  mound. 

But  long  before  the  little  Crackers  had 
opened  their  eyes  the  next  morning,  Mr.  Bus 
Joiner  and  the  Captain  had  taken  their  guns 
and  left  the  cabin. 

“ We’ll  just  peep  into  the  brush,”  the  Captain 
whispered  the  Mate.  “ Don’t  waken  the  boys, 


CAMP  LIFE  ON  THE  WITHLACOOCHEE.  1 59 

and  wait  breakfast;  we  will  be  back  in  time 
for  it.” 

The  Mate  did  not  waken  the  Crackers  to 
light  the  fire ; a task  that  had  been  assigned 
them  at  the  beginning  of  their  expedition. 

“ They  are  worn  out  with  yesterday’s  tramp,” 
she  said  to  Mrs.  Joiner,  when  the  good 
woman  emerged  from  the  cabin  with  her 
sleeves  pushed  up  ready  to  help  get  the  break- 
fast. “ Let  them  sleep  until  the  men  come 
home.  I think  we  can  manage  without  them 
one  morning.” 

“Shouldn’t  wonder,”  said  Mrs.  Joiner.  “ I’ll 
fotch  the  water  while  you  light  the  fire.  They 
fotched  all  the  wood  and  truck  last  night,  poor 
things.” 

Meanwhile  the  “ poor  things  ” slept  on,  un- 
conscious of  the  fine  proceedings  that  were 
going  on  in  the  hammock,  near  by. 

When,  half  an  hour  later,  they  were  called 
to  breakfast,  and  actually  stumbled  tipon  a 
beautiful  panther  which  the  hunters  had 
killed  in  the  hammock,  they  found  no  words 
in  which  to  express  their  disappointment  at 
having  been  permitted  to  have  no  hand  in 
the  hunt. 

“ Sleep  ! ” sneered  Cracker  Jack.  “ I wonder 


l6o  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

who  cares  to  sleep  on  a hunting  trip.  Mother, 
I didn't  think  you’d  do  — us  — so  — ” 

“ He’s  goin’  to  cry,”  said  Luke,  pointing  with 
exasperating  precision  at  the  drop  hanging 


upon  the  tip  of  the  little  Cracker’s  nose.  “ He’s 
goin’  to  cry. 


“ ‘ Cry;  baby,  cry, 

Stick  yer  finger  in  your  eye, 
Tell  yer  mammy  — ’ ” 


He  never  got  any  further.  The  little  Cracker 
forgot  all  promises  about  “ charity,  charity, 
charity  ; ” he  even  forgot  the  dead  panther,  and 


CAMP  LIFE  ON  THE  WITIILACOOCHEE.  l6l 


the  failure  to  waken  him  for  the  hunt,  as  he 
fairly  flew  at  Luke ; and  before  the  Mate  could 
interfere  the  two  were  rolling  over  each  other 
in  a way  that  must  have  shamed  the  panther 
itself,  had  it  been  alive  to  witness  the  scuffle. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


GETTING  EVEN  ; BEARS  ; THE  OLD  WELL. 

Cracker  Jack  was  in  disgrace  for  fighting. 
He  had  the  chagrin  of  seeing  the  other  boys 
load  their  rifles,  while  the  eager-eyed  Joiner 
pair  looked  on,  preparatory  to  another  panther 
hunt.  Jack  knew  that  at  that  moment  Mr. 
Joiner  was  skinning  the  dead  panther;  for 
he  had  heard  him  telling  the  Mate  that  he 
“ reckint  he  had  skunt  in  and  about  five  hun- 
dred wild  varmints  all  told.”  But  Jack  could 
only  hear;  he  was  not  permitted  to  take  any 
part  in  the  day’s  pleasures  and  excitements. 

When,  at  the  last,  all  was  ready,  and  the 
hunters  started  off  to  the  woods,  followed  as 
usual  by  the  weaponless  Joiner  boys,  the  little 
Cracker  realized  for  the  first  time  how  unpleas- 
ant, how  tantalizing  it  was  to  see  other  boys 
hunting,  and  not  to  be  able  to  join  them. 

The  reflection  stirred  a good  impulse  in  his 
heart.  He  went  to  the  door,  and  called  to 
Luke : 


162 


GETTING  EVEN;  BEARS;  THE  OLD  WELL.  1 63 

“ Come  here,”  he  said,  “ I want  you  a 
minute.” 

The  boy  came  reluctantly  back. 

“ Gwine  fight  ? ” he  asked,  stopping  at  a safe 
distance  outside. 

“ No,”  replied  Jack.  “ I called  you  back  to 
lend  you  my  gun.” 

The  boy’s  eyes  fairly  shone.  “ Sho  nuff  ? ” 
said  he.  “ Yer  mean  it  fer  true  ? ” 

“Yes,”  said  Jack.  “ There  it  is,  take  it,  and 
go.  I hope  — ” and  the  little  Cracker’s  voice 
trembled  — “I  hope  you’ll  have  a good  hunt. 
I lend  you  the  gun  because  I fought  you.'' 

The  delighted  Luke  went  running  back  to 
join  the  boys,  flourishing  the  gun  as  he  ran, 
and  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice : 

“ He  lent  it  ter  me  ’case  he  fit  me ! He  lent 
it  to  me  ’case  he  fit  me!  ” 

The  Mate,  standing  just  outside  the  door, 
heard  every  word  that  had  passed.  If  J ack  could 
have  seen  her  face  when  she  turned  it  from 
him  a few  minutes  later,  while  she  tied  a veil 
about  her  head,  he  would  have  noticed  that  her 
lips  wore  a smile  of  rare  tenderness. 

But  Jack  did  not  see  the  smile,  nor  did  he 
know  his  mother  had  heard  his  offer  of  the 
gun,  so,  when  she  said,  “ Come,  Jack,  it  is 


164  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

your  day  at  the  Indian  mound,”  he  followed 
her  out  to  the  despised  mound,  under  the 
impression  that  she  was  still  inflicting  upon 
him  the  punishment  incurred  by  fighting 
Luke  Joiner. 

When  he  saw  his  mother  and  Mrs.  Joiner, 
with  their  sharp  sticks,  and  buckets  for  carry- 
ing their  find , go  down  into  the 
Indian  mound,  leaving  him  alone 
at  the  entrance,  then,  indeed,  he 
realized  the  loneliness  that  was 
before  him.  True,  he  did  smile 
at  the  funny  manner  in  which 
the  explorers  went  in,  backward, 
using  both  hands  and  feet  like 
a child  that  has  not  learned  to 
walk,  but  endeavors  to  go  down 
a flight  of  steps. 

“ Now,  son,”  the  Mate  said,  as 
her  face  reached  a level  with  the  opening,  “ the 
excavation  is  getting  real  deep,  so  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  get  out.  Moreover,  sound  is  somewhat 
deadened  by  the  earth  about  us.  So  do  you 
keep  your  eyes  open,  and  if  you  should  see  a 
bear,  do  you  call  to  us  instantly.  Don’t  lose  a 
minute.  Scream  as  hard  as  you  can,  and  keep 
on  screaming.  Don’t  stop  until  you  see  us 


GETTING  EVEN;  BEARS;  THE  OLD  WELL.  165 

out  of  the  mound.  Do  you  understand, 
Jack?” 

“ Yes,  mother,”  said  disconsolate  Jack,  as  he 
seated  himself  forlornly  to  one  side  the  open- 
ing, with  his  face  to  the  hammock. 

A few  minutes  later,  when  the  women  had 
disappeared  down  their  steps,  Jack  heard  the 
sound  of  approaching  footsteps.  Turning 
quickly,  he  saw  his  brothers,  Joe  and  James, 
comino-  back  from  the  hunt. 

O 

He  was  about  to  cry  out  to  them  to  know 
why  they  had  turned  back,  when  they  mo- 
tioned him  to  silence. 

“ Come  here,  Jack,”  said  Joe,  beckoning  furi- 
ously the  while. 

“We  didn’t  care  for  a hunt  without  you, 
to-day,”  said  the  big  Cracker,  “ so  we  came 
back  to  stay  with  you.” 

“ Oh,  Joe,  did  you  ? ” said  Jack.  “ Did  you 
really,  you  and  James  ? ” 

“ Softly,  softly,”  cautioned  the  big  Cracker. 
“ We’ve  got  a scheme  on  foot.” 

“To  get  even  with  mother  and  Mrs.  Joiner 
for  not  waking  us  this  morning,”  said  James. 
“ Oh,  but  it’s  a fine  one.” 

There  was  a whispered  consultation,  much 
gesticulating,  many  a desperate  effort,  seem- 


i66 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


ingly,  to  smother  a laugh,  and  finally  the 
Crackers  separated. 

Joe  and  James  walked  off  some  little  dis- 
tance and  hid  themselves  behind  two  large 
oaks.  Jack  resumed  his  watch  beside  the 
mound. 

For  thirty  minutes,  perhaps  longer,  there 
was  silence,  except  for  the  voices  of  the  two 
women  digging  among  the  graves  of  the 
Indians. 

Suddenly  the  little  Cracker  on  guard  put  his 
face  into  the  opening  and  shouted,  “ Bear ! 
Bear!” 

The  next  instant  he  was  gone ; but  he 
strictly  obeyed  his  instructions,  for  not  once 
did  he  give  over  screaming,  but  shouted, 
“ Bear ! Bear ! Bear ! Bear  ! Bear ! ” at  the  top 
of  his  lungs,  until  he  saw  his  mother  and  her 
companion  come  tumbling  out  of  the  mound, 
veritably  covered  with  dirt,  and  screaming, 
“ Bear ! Bear ! ” with  full  as  much  vehemence 
as  Jack  was  doing. 

Once  out,  they  did  not  urait  to  see  in  which 
direction  the  bear  was  coming,  but  set  out  in 
pursuit  of  the  only  object  they  could  see ; that 
was  the  little  Cracker’s  legs  making  all  haste 
for  the  camp. 


BEAR  ! BEAR  ! BEAR  ! 


GETTING  EVEN;  BEARS;  THE  OLD  WELL.  1 69 

“ Bear ! Bear ! ” How  they  did  scream  ! As 
if  the  bear  had  been  just  at  their  heels. 

At  this  moment,  Joe  and  James  came  rush- 
ing up  with  their  guns,  and  crying,  “Where? 
Where  is  the  bear,  mother  ? ” 

“ Why  — ” the  Mate  turned  to  look  for  the 
bear;  then  she  turned  to  look  for  Jack.  He 
had  vanished  utterly. 

“You,  Jack?  ” she  called.  “ Where  is  there 
any  bear  ? ” 

A muffled,  laughter-choked  voice  replied 
from  within  the  cabin  : 

“ In  the  woods,  mother.” 

“Mother,”  said  James,  slyly,  “don’t  you 
think  we  are  about  even  now?  You  will  wake 
us  up  for  the  next  panther  hunt,  will  you  not, 
mother  ? ” 

“ Get  out ; every  one  of  you,”  replied  the 
Mate,  with  a ridiculous  attempt  at  severity. 
“ No,  we  are  not  even.  You  will  bear  in  mind, 
young  gentlemen,  that  I consider  you  are  one 
ahead,  and  that  I shall,  sooner  or  later,  ‘get 
even.’  Be  off  with  you ; playing  pranks  upon 
your  mother ! Off,  I say ! ” 

The  little  Cracker  looked  wistfully  at  his 
mother. 

“ May  I ‘ be  off  ’ also  ? ” he  asked,  hesitatingly. 


170  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

The  Mate  drew  the  boy  to  her  side,  and, 
bending  her  head,  left  a kiss  upon  the  boyish, 
upturned  face. 

“Yes,  go  and  enjoy  the  day  you  have  made 
pleasant  for  another.  I heard  Luke  shooting 
over  in  the  hammock  a little  while  as:o.” 

So  the  joke  upon  their  mother  terminated 
satisfactorily  to  the  little  Crackers.  As  they 
went  off,  however,  to  examine  their  traps,  and 
see  what  they  could  “ pick  up  ” in  the  way  of 
game  along  the  edge  of  the  hammock,  they 
speculated  no  little  as  to  the  joke  their  mother 
was  plotting  against  them,  as  a means  of 
“ evening  up  things.” 

“ It  will  be  a good  one,  you  can  depend 
upon  that,”  said  Joe.  “ I know  mother;  when 
she  sets  her  head  to  do  a thing,  as  Mr.  Joiner 
says,  ‘ it’s  sot.’  ” 

Still,  as  the  day  passed  on,  they  went  home 
to  dinner,  and  nothing  was  said  or  done,  they 
concluded  she  had  forgotten  all  about  it,  and 
so  they,  too,  allowed  it  to  slip  their  minds. 

Near  the  cabin,  some  little  distance  to  the 
right  of  the  Indian  mound,  was  an  old  well, 
or  the  commencement  of  a well,  which  the  for- 
mer owner  of  the  place  had  begun  to  dig,  but 
had  never  completed.  This  well  — it  was  not 


GETTING  EVEN;  BEARS;  THE  OLD  WELL.  1 7 1 

more  than  ten  feet  deep  — was  carefully  cov- 
ered during  the  day  and  night,  for  fear  the 
horses  might  slip  their  halters,  and,  falling  into 
it,  break  their  legs  or  necks. 

This  hole  — it  amounted  to  nothing  more  — 
was  a favorite  resort  with  the  boys.  They 
had  arranged  seats  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit 
by  means  of  stumps  and  the  trunks  of  small 
saplings,  found  on  the  edge  of  the  hammock. 

They  let  themselves  down  to  this  retreat  — 
they  called  it  their  “ conference  room  ” — by 
means  of  a rope,  the  rope  used  for  the  bundles 
of  bedding  brought  to  the  camp.  This  rope 
was  securely  fastened  to  an  oak  that  grew 
convenient  to  the  well,  and  reached,  “ barely 
reached,”  the  tip  of  Jack’s  fingers  when  he 
stood  upon  one  of  the  seats  of  the  conference 
room. 

One  end  of  the  line  hung  in  the  well  always ; 
the  boys  declaring  they  would  take  no  risks  on 
their  “ ladder,”  as  it  was  their  sole  means  of 
ascending  and  descending  into  and  out  of  their 
retreat. 

When  they  wished  to  go  down,  they  seized 
the  rope  and  slid,  hand  over  hand,  down  the 
line,  until  their  feet  touched  the  “seats”  at  the 
bottom. 


172 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


Coming  up,  they  took  hold  upon  the  rope, 
pressed  their  feet,  or  knees,  against  the  wall  of 
the  pit,  and  pulled  themselves  to  the  top. 

After  dinner,  on  the  day  of  the  bear  scare, 
the  Crackers  retired  to  the  conference  room 
for  consultation  regarding  the  next  day’s  sport. 

The  Mate,  busy  with  clearing  away  the  din- 
ner, saw  them  descend,  and  slyly  winked  at 
Mrs.  Joiner,  who  was  scraping  the  “leavings” 
from  a frying-pan  in  which  a couple  of  fish  had 
lately  sputtered  and  browned. 

“ A good  time  to  pay  yer  grudge,  ain’t  hit  ? ” 
she  asked,  as  keenly  intent  upon  vengeance  as 
was  the  Mate  herself. 

“ An  admirable  time,”  replied  the  Mate. 
“Just  the  very  best  time  I could  possibly 
desire.  But  we  must  not  hurry  too  much ; 
allow  them  ten  minutes  in  which  to  ‘settle 
down  to  business.’  ” 

When  the  ten  minutes  were  up  the  dinner 
things  had  been  cleared  away,  and  the  Mate  and 
her  accomplice  were  ready  for  business,  also. 

“ Now,”  said  the  Mate,  “do  you  run  and  get 
the  bell  from  the  mare’s  neck.  Don’t  allow  it 
to  tinkle  once,  if  you  can  prevent  it.  Muffle  the 
clapper  with  your  hand,  and  bring  the  bell  to 
me  under  the  oak-tree.” 


GETTING  EVEN;  BEARS;  THE  OLD  WELL.  1 73 

And  while  little  Mrs.  Joiner  ran  around  to 
the  shed  (a  shed  constructed  of  boughs,  moss, 
and  brush),  to  despoil  the  claybank  of  her 
adornment,  the  Mate  hurried  out  to  the  oak 
around  which  the  rope  of  ascent  and  descent 
was  fastened. 

She  waited,  her  hand  upon  the  line,  until 
the  sound  of  voices  in  the  conference  room 
assured  her  the  boys  were  in  the  midst  of  some 
interesting  discussion. 

Then  she  gently,  cautiously,  noiselessly  gave 
a slight  pull  upon  the  rope,  drawing  it  about 
a foot  up,  no  more  ; she  knew  they  could  not 
possibly  reach  it,  yet  would  not  suspect  any- 
thing, as  they  would  be  sure  to  do  if  she  drew 
it  entirely  out  of  the  well. 

“ In  their  frantic  efforts  to  seize  it  they 
will  simply  suppose  they  have  missed  it,”  she 
argued,  to  her  own  mind. 

She  fastened  the  line  by  crossing  it  into 
a loop  and  passing  a sharp  stake  through  the 
loop  into  the  ground.  Then  she  took  the  bell, 
listened  a moment  for  a lull  in  the  discussion, 
and  then  tinkled  the  bell  softly. 

“ Hello  ! ” came  from  below,  “ the  claybank’s 
loose.” 

The  bell  tinkled  on,  softly  at  first,  as  if  the 


174 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


mare  was  feeding  at  some  distance.  Then  the 
sound  grew  a trifle  more  distinct,  as  the  Mate 
moved  towards  the  well.  Nearer  still;  a voice 
below  shouted,  authoritatively : 

“ Whoa,  up  there ! ” 

The  bell  tinkled  on,  nearer  the  pit’s  edge. 

“ Whoa ! ” again  came  the  command,  more 
emphatic  than  before.  There  was  just  a hint 
of  fear  in  the  voice  this  time. 

But  the  bell  refused  to  obey.  The  listeners 
below  realized  that  it  was  very  near  the  pit’s 
edge. 

“ Whoa  ! Whoa  ! ” They  shouted  in  chorus. 
“ She’s  going  to  tumble  in  on  us,”  Jack’s  voice 
announced  above  the  cries  of  “Whoa!  Whoa!” 
“ Whoa,  up  there,  you  old  blind  bat,  you  — ” 
“Whoa!  Whoa!” 

But  the  bell  drew  nearer  and  nearer.  It  was 
so  close,  indeed,  the  Mate  could  tell  the  very 
moment  when  the  Crackers  sprang  for  the 
rope  — and  missed  it. 

Then  the  bell  tinkled  at  the  very  verge  of 
the  pit,  and  such  a shout  as  went  up  from  the 
conference  room.  Mrs.  Joiner  stuffed  her 
apron  in  her  mouth  for  fear  the  boys  would 
hear  her  laugh. 

“Mother!”  “Mother!”  “Whoa!”  “Whoa, 


GETTING  EVEN;  BEARS;  THE  OLD  WELL.  I 75 


up  there  ! ” “ Oh,  mother ! Won’t  you  lead  the 
old  mare  away  ? ” “ Mother ! ” “ Mother ! ” 

At  that  moment  the  Mate’s  face  appeared 
over  the  edge 
of  the  pit;  she 
held  the  bell  in 
full  view  of  the 
terrified  Crack- 
ers, and  shouted 
“ Bears  ! Bears  ! ” 
before  she  ran 
away  to  laugh 
with  Mrs.  Joiner 
over  the  success 
of  the  plot. 

The  Crackers 
were  completely 
routed.  They 
didn’t  even  dare 
to  chirp  over  the 
bear  scheme  to 
the  Captain  when 
they  gathered  that  night  round  the  camp-fire. 

The  Mate  told  about  it,  however,  and  about 
the  bell  scare , too.  And  when  the  laugh  had 
subsided,  the  Crackers  admitted,  reluctantly, 
that  they  had  been  “ sold.” 


176 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


“Still,  mother,"  said  James,  “you  did  run. 
Oh,  how  you  did  run  from  that  bear  ! ” 

“ And  you  did  holler ,”  added  Jack.  “ I never 
heard  anybody  holler  so.” 

“ That  is  because  you  were  not  on  the  out- 
side when  the  claybank  threatened  to  walk 
into  the  well,”  said  the  Mate.  And  again  the 
verdict  was  that  the  Mate  had  the  best  of  the 
joke. 

“ We-uns  air  afearcl  of  bar,”  Mrs  Joiner  ad- 
mitted. “ We-uns  air  mighty  ’feared  of  b'ar. 
But  for  bosses  now,  well,  we  ain’t  so  might’ly 
sheered  o’  hosses,  as  some  air.” 

And  the  three  little  Crackers  said  never  a 
word. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A RESCUE ; TWO  FAMOUS  LETTERS  ; SPEECH- 
MAKING. 

The  little  Crackers  were  at  home  again; 
they  had  enjoyed  their  holiday,  and  so,  too, 
had  the  older  people,  but  they  had  all  come 
back  to  Col  Alto  with  a kind  of  feeling  that 
frolics  are  good,  now  and  then,  but,  after  all, 
home  is  the  best  thing.  It  has  such  a restful 
air,  such  a good,  safe  air. 

“ I tell  you,  mother,”  said  Cracker  Joe,  as  he 
stretched  himself  on  a sofa,  “ this  place  is  much 
handsomer  than  I thought  it.  Why,  when  we 
first  came  the  walls  seemed  too  low,  after  our 
Alabama  home,  and  they  did  look  shabby, 
those  logs  and  that  daubing  did.  But  some- 
how it  looks  really  fine  now.  And  the  ceiling 
seems  high  enough  for  anybody.” 

The  Mate  smiled,  and  worked  on  with  the 
sock  she  was  darning.  She  was  not  ready  to 
explain  that  it  was  contrast,  in  each  instance, 


177 


178  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

that  had  affected  the  Cracker’s  opinion  of  their 
cabin  on  the  hill.  She  wished  the  boys  to  feel 
satisfied  with  their  home  and  surroundings. 
If  the  cabin  by  the  Withlacoochee  had  accom- 
plished that  for  them,  she  would  not  regret  the 
holiday,  certainly. 

“We  did  have  a good  time,  though,”  Joe 
added,  as  if  his  words  might  have  conveyed 
a hint  of  disappointment  regarding  their  trip. 
“We  did  have  a good  time,  and  no  mistake.” 
“ Except  the  Joiner  boys,”  added  Jack,  who 
had  entered  the  room  unnoticed.  “ The  Joiners 
were  a ‘mistake.’  I mean  the  Joiner  boys.” 

“ Jack  ? ” 

“ Now,  mother,”  said  the  Cracker,  “the  con- 
tract ended  with  the  expedition.  I don’t  have 
to  be  polite  to  them  here,  where  they  are  on 
their  own  ground.  They  are  out  in  our  boat 
this  blessed  minute,  without  asking  us ; how 
can  a fellow  like  boys  that  do  such  things  ? ” 
“ I think,  Jack,”  said  the  Mate,  “ that  if  you 
would  endeavor  to  make  friends  of  those  boys, 
instead  of  waging  war  against  them,  you  would 
find  it  an  easier  way  out  of  your  annoyances 
from  them.” 

“ Friends!”  said  Jack.  “ I don’t  want  them 
for  friends ! I want  our  boat.  I wish  it  would 


A RESCUE. 


179 


upset  ’em  in  the  lake  and  give  ’em  such  a scare 
they  would  let  it  be.  That’s  what  I wish,” 
declared  the  little  Cracker;  and  nothing  the 
Mate  could  say  — she  said  a good  deal,  you 
may  be  sure  — could  induce  him  to  regard  the 
Joiner  pests  as  other  than  a nuisance  and  a 
worry. 

“You  would  feel  bad  enough  if  the  boat 
should  upset  and  endanger  the  boys’  lives,”  she 
told  him. 

“ No,  mother,  I wouldn’t,”  the  little  Cracker 
insisted.  “ I wish  it  would  scare  them  good. 
I heard  Joe  say  the  same  thing,  and  James 
wishes  it,  too,  only  he  won’t  say  so.” 

“ I am  Mad  to  know  I have  one  son  too  noble 

O 

to  give  expression  to  wicked  wishes,”  said  the 
Mate,  folding  the  socks,  that  had  been  neatly 
darned  during  the  discussion,  and  put  away 
in  the  work-basket. 

“ You  will  both  learn  some  day  that  kindness 
conquers  more  speedily  and  more  effectually 
than  force.  You  will  learn,  too,  for  it  is  one  of 
life’s  inevitable  lessons,  that  thoughtless  wishes 
come  back  upon  the  wisher,  often  with  interest, 
too,  and  at  a moment  when  they  are  least  ex- 
pected or  desired.  I hope  you  may  not  learn 
this  by  experience,  however.  Now,  run  away 


l8o  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

and  dress  yourselves.  We  are  all  to  go  over 
to  Drake  Point  to  tea  with  Uncle  James  this 
evening.” 

The  Crackers  were  rejoiced  to  hear  this. 
There  was  nothing  they  enjoyed  more  than  a 
visit  to  the  Point.  Uncle  James  had  travelled 
a great  deal,  and  knew  so  much  that  was  inter- 
esting. But  he  was  an  invalid,  and  so  it  was 
only  on  rare  occasions  the  boys  were  allowed 
entire  evenings  with  him. 

“ I shall  ask  him  about  the  Pilgrims’  Rock  at 
Plymouth,  and  the  things  in  the  hall  there,  that 
once  belonged  to  Myles  Standish.  He  has 
seen  them  all,  and  promised  to  tell  me  about 
them.  He  says  lots  of  people  believe  the  rock 
is  a fraud,  and  that  the  Pilgrims  did  not  land 
on  it  at  all.  I shall  ask  him  all  about  it  this 
evening  ; ” and  the  Cracker  began  his  prepara- 
tions for  the  visit  with  alacrity. 

“He  promised  to  tell  me  about  the  Hermitage 
and  Old  Hickory,”  said  Jack.  “ I'd  rather  hear 
about  the  little  Indian  Old  Hickory  brought 
home  from  the  Creek  War,  than  to  hear  all  about 
the  foreigners  who  landed  on  the  rock.” 

“ My  story  comes  first,”  the  big  Cracker  in- 
sisted, as  he  dipped  his  face  into  a basin  of  fresh 
water.  “ I claimed  first.  Besides,  you  know 


A RESCUE. 


181 


all  about  that  Indian  story.  You  know  his 
tribe  had  all  been  killed  — ” 

“ His  family,”  corrected  the  little  Cracker. 

“ No,  his  tribe,”  Joe  insisted,  and  the  little 
Cracker  said  no  more,  although  Joe  knew  he 
had  not  really  yielded  his  opinion ; he  merely 
wished  to  hear 
again  the  story 
of  the  old  hero 
whose  name  he 
bore. 

“His  tribe  had 
all  been  killed,” 

Joe  went  on  to 
say,  between  the 
dabs  he  made 
into  the  wash- 
bowl, “ and  the 
Indians  wanted 
to  kill  him , too. 

That  was  their  custom.  But  one  good  Indian 
picked  up  the  little  Indian  and  brought  him  to 
General  Jackson.  And  the  general  sent  the 
little  Indian  home  to  play  with  his  own  son.” 

“ Didn’t  have  any  ‘ own  son,’  ” said  the  little 
Cracker.  “ He  only  had  an  adopted  son.  And 
he  sent  the  Indian  home  because,  he  said,  he 


182 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


reminded  him  of  his  own  self.  He  was  left  all 
by  himself  when  his  mother  died  of  smallpox, 
nursing  soldiers,  and  his  brother  died,  too,  and 
only  the  boy  Andrew  was  left.  So  he  wrote 
his  wife  and  told  her  so,  and  told  her  to  keep 
the  boy  in  the  house  and  take  care  of  him.  I 
saw  the  letters  my  own  self;  a lady  from  Ten- 
nessee had  them  in  Alabama,  and  she  got  them 
at  the  Hermitage,  and  mother  made  a copy  of 
them  for  me,  because  the  lady  gave  the  originals 
to  uncle.” 

“ Oh,  I know  all  about  that,”  said  the  big 
Cracker.  “ I know  the  Indian’s  name,  too,  and 
you  don’t.” 

“ It  was  Lyncoya,”  said  the  little  Cracker, 
jubilantly.  “ But  they  shortened  it  to  ‘ Linco,’ 
the  slaves  at  the  Hermitage  did.  Now!  ” 

Now,’  ” said  Joe,  “ I’m  ready.  And  ‘ now  ’ 
I don’t  see  why  a boy  wants  to  hear  a story  he 
knows  all  by  heart.  That’s  what /say.  Now!  ” 

And  the  big  Cracker  ran  off  to  enjoy,  in 
contemplation,  the  wonderful  stories  he  would 
hear  during  the  evening  from  Uncle  James. 

He  ran  down  to  the  lake  to  see  if  the  Joiners 
had  returned  with  the  boat.  No,  it  was  still 
missing,  and  the  lake  was  rougher,  he  thought, 
than  he  had  ever  seen  it. 


A RESCUE. 


lS3 

“ Why,  they  can’t  row  in  a wind  like  this ,” 
he  exclaimed,  involuntarily.  And  then  he  re- 
membered his  ugly  wish  that  the  boat  would 
upset  and  “ pitch  the  boys  into  the  water.” 

It  seemed  a very  dreadful  wish  now,  when  a 
possibility  of  its  fulfilment  stared  him  in  the 
face.  He  had  an  impulse  to  get  in  the  other 
boat  and  go  out  after  them.  He  knew  he  could 
manage  it,  for  his  father  had  said  he  was  a “fine 
rower,”  and  Joe  knew,  himself,  that  his  arms 
were  strong  and  his  head  cool  on  the  water. 

“ But  I have  on  my  new  suit,”  he  told  him- 
self ; “ and  if  I go  I’ll  miss  the  Pilgrims,  and 
spoil  my  clothes,  and  — I wont ! They  are 
not  worth  it.” 

He  really  thought,  however,  that  he  would , 
until  William  came  down  and  told  him  he 
thought  the  boys  had  crossed  the  lake.  And, 
in  that  case,  they  would  know  better  than  to 
return  in  such  a wind. 

“ And  the  Captain  says,”  William  continued, 
“ you  are  to  wait  and  go  over  in  the  ‘ no-top  ’ 
with  him.  Your  mother  and  the  boys  have 
gone  on  to  the  Point  in  the  spring  wagin.” 

Joe  did  not  quite  like  the  idea  of  waiting; 
but  it  sounded  a trifle  important  to  be  told  he 
was  “ to  go  over  with  his  father,”  so  he  said 


184  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

nothing  more  than  that  he  hoped  his  father 
would  not  be  very  late  going. 

The  truth  was,  the  big  Cracker  was  afraid  of 
missing  that  Jackson  story.  He  was  every  whit 
as  fond  of  it  as  was  Cracker  Jack.  He  would 
not  miss  the  reading  of  Old  Hickory’s  letter  to 
his  wife,  telling  about  the  Creek  War,  and  the 
Indian  boy,  Lyncoya,  “ Oh,  not  for  anything .” 
Uncle  James  possessed  the  real  letters;  there 
were  two  of  them,  telling  of  Lyncoya ; “ the 
genuine  articles,”  he  called  them,  which  the 
Tennessee  lady  had  given  him.  Such  old  let- 
ters, written  in  18  ij ; so  musty,  “ mellow,”  Uncle 
James  called  them,  and  so  queer.  No  envelopes, 
but  just  a funny  folding  of  one  sheet  of  paper 
over  another,  with  a little  dab  of  red  wax  to 
hold  it. 

And  no  postage  stamps  on  them,  only  a 
notice  down  in  one  corner  to  show  that  they 
were  sent  “ by  the  bearer  of  the  express.” 

They  were  addressed  to  Mrs.  Rachel  Jack- 
son,  Hermitage,  near  Nashville,  Tennessee. 
Oh,  he  knew  those  old  letters  by  heart ; they 
were  so  queer. 

“ Jack  thinks  he’s  the  only  one  to  like  Old 
Hickory,  because  he’s  named  for  him,”  said 
Joe.  “ But  oh,  I do  want  to  see  those 


A RESCUE.  185 

old  letters!  Though  I don’t  want  Jack  to 
know.” 

There  was  one  who  did  know,  however. 
Uncle  James  had  not  watched  the  faces  of  his 
nephews  for  nothing  when  he  told  them  of  the 
old  hero  of  the  Indian  wars  and  of  New  Or- 
leans. And  he  had  refused  to  begin  Cracker 
Jack’s  story  until  Joe  should  arrive,  or  else 
some  news  of  him.  For  at  eight  o’clock  the 
Captain  had  not  put  in  an  appearance,  and  had 
sent  no  reason  for  the  delay.  When,  fifteen 
minutes  later,  he  did  arrive,  alone,  but  with  a 
very  touching  excuse  from  Joe,  the  story-tell- 
ing began.  But  Uncle  James  had  not  forgot- 
ten the  brave  big  Cracker  who  had  not  accepted 
his  invitation  to  tea.  The  “ splendid  uncle  ” had 
a little  idea  of  his  own  that  he  did  not  include 
in  the  story  of  Lyncoya.  Nor  did  the  listen- 
ing Crackers  dream  of  what  their  uncle  was 
thinking  when  he  said,  in  folding  the  precious 
letters : 

“Take  your  last  look;  this  is  the  last  time 
your  Uncle  James,  intends  to  exhibit  these 
documents.” 

The  big  Cracker,  meantime,  was  spending  a 
very  different  sort  of  evening. 

When  it  began  to  grow  dark  he  became 


1 86  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

very  restless  to  be  off  to  the  Point.  But 
the  Captain  was  not  quite  ready ; he  had 
been  detained  until  “almost  too  late  to  go,” 
he  declared. 

While  waiting,  Joe  went  back  and  forth, 
to  and  from  the  lake.  There  was  an  uneasy 
feeling  in  his  heart,  — what  if  those  boys  had 
upset  in  the  lake  ? 

It  was  a raw  night,  although  clear ; the  wind 
blew  until  the  water  actually  hissed.  The  idea 
of  those  two  children,  unused  as  they  were  to 
boats,  attempting  to  cross  the  lake  on  such  a 
night  was  terrible. 

William  went  down  to  draw  the  remaining 
skiff  farther  up  out  of  the  water. 

“It  do  beat  so  ! ” he  explained  to  Joe.  “ The 
water  do  beat  so  ag’inst  the  boats.” 

“William,”  said  Joe,  “do  you  think  those 
boys  are  on  the  other  side  ? ” 

“ Their  pappy  says  he  reckints  they  went 
’cross  to  their  uncle’s  and  will  stay  all  night,” 
replied  the  hired  man.  “ He  ain't  skeered 
’bout  ’em ; we-alls  needn’t  be." 

“ Hush  ! ” said  Joe.  “ What  is  that  ? Wait ! 
I heard  a cry.  Oh,  William,  bring  me  the  oar- 
locks, quick,  and  the  oars.  Somebody  is  call- 
ing for  help.  Run ! It  is  those  boys ; and 


A RESCUE. 


I87 


they  have  neither  oars  nor  oar-locks.  They 
stole  the  boat,  and  went  out  with  only  two 
paddles  which  they  made.  Here  ! Tell  father 
not  to  wait  for  me.” 

The  man  had  dragged  the  oars  and  locks 
from  their  hiding-place  under  the  steps.  He 
pulled  the  boat  out  and  fastened  the  locks 
while  Joe  was  getting  in.  It  had  all  happened 
so  quickly,  so  unexpectedly,  the  man  had  not 
thought  of  raising  a protest.  It  was  doubtless 
that  cry  of  helpless  terror  that  urged  him  on, 
as  it  was  urging  the  brave  rescuer  who  was 
pulling  with  all  his  strength  towards  the  spot 
from  which  the  call  seemed  to  come. 

“ Help  ! Help  ! ” Above  the  hissing  of  the 
waves  he  heard  it.  And  he  heard,  also,  deep 
down  in  his  heart,  the  echo  of  that  wicked 
wish,  that  the  boat  would  upset. 

He  remembered  his  mother’s  w?ords  : “ They 
come  back  at  a moment  when  they  are  least 
expected  or  desired.” 

“ Help  ! Help  ! We  are  — drowning  ! ” 

He  heard  the  words  distinctly,  and  knew 
he  was  drawing  near  to  the  boys.  He  plied 
the  oar  with  new  strength  as  he  shouted,  to 
encourage  them : “ Hold  on ; I am  coming.” 
Three  times  he  repeated  the  call,  and  hear- 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


1 88 


ing  no  reply,  he  concluded  they  must  have 
drowned.  He  tried  again,  however: 

“ Hold  on  ; I am  coming,  — coming  ! ” 

“ Waal,  yer  better  come  on,  then,”  said  a 
voice  near  by,  “ elst  we’ll  drowen.” 

Then  the  big 
Cracker  felt  a 
reaction  take 
place. 

“ Drown , 
then  ! ” said  he. 
“ You  ought  to 
drown.  Where 
are  you,  any- 
how ? ” 

“ Right  here,” 
replied  the 
voice  of  Jake. 
“ W e’s  holdin’ 
ter  the  boat ; 
hit’s  turnt 
over. 

Guided  by  the  voice,  Joe  pulled  on.  It  was 
darker  now,  but  he  managed  to  find  the  upset 
boat,  and  rowing  around  it,  felt  in  the  darkness 
until  his  hand  touched  one  of  the  boys  heads. 
He  jerked  him  by  the  collar  as  his  boat  moved 


A RESCUE.  189 

on,  and  pulled  him  in,  dropping  him,  like  a 
fish,  in  the  bottom  of  the  skiff. 

“ Much  obleeged  ter  yer,”  said  Jake,  when 
he  felt  bottom. 

“ Shut  up  ! " said  Joe.  “ I want  none  o'  your 
‘ much  obleegin’.’  ” 

The  truth  was,  Joe  began  to  think  of  the 
Point  about  this  time,  and  the  good  things  he 
was  missing. 

He  rowed  back,  however,  and  pulled  Luke 
in,  and  then,  with  the  help  of  Jake,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  righting  the  overturned  boat  and  in 
towing  it  back  to  the  wharf. 

Then  he  went  off  to  bed,  after  a look  at  his 
clothes,  which  were  soaked  by  the  water,  but 
which  William  assured  him  would  “come  dry 
in  time'.' 

Sleep  was  another  matter,  however.  For 
just  as  he  would  be  ready  to  drop  off,  some- 
thing would  “ pop  up  into  his  head,”  so  he  told 
the  Mate  afterwards,  and  say,  “ He’s  telling 
about  Myles  Standish’s  sword  now.”  Or  else, 
“He  has  finished  Old  Hickory,”  or  “Just  at 
this  minute  they  are  looking  at  the  letters.” 
And  away  sleep  would  go  for  that  time. 

He  got  up  at  last,  and  dressed,  and  went 
out  to  talk  with  William  until  the  others 


190  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

should  get  home.  And  when  they  did  come, 
earlier  than  he  expected  them,  and  his  mother 
handed  him  a little  package,  “with  Uncle 
James’s  compliments,”  he  was  so  heartily  glad 
that  he  had  rescued  the  Joiners  instead  of 
going  away  for  his  own  pleasure  that  he  could 
almost  have  shouted  aloud  his  joy. 

For  the  package  contained  a note  from  Uncle 
James,  enclosing  the  letters.  Not  copies;  but 
the  genuine,  original  letters,  musty  and  old, 
and  indeed  “mellow,”  written  by  Old  Hickory 
from  Strother  to  his  wife  in  the  far-away  Her- 
mitage. And  in  the  letters  was  the  story 
of  the  Indian  boy,  Lyncoya,  whom  he  had 
rescued  from  the  Creeks,  who  would  have  put 
him  to  death,  according  to  their  custom,  when 
the  other  members  of  his  family  had  been 
slain.  In  the  letter  the  great  general  explained 
to  his  wife  that  it  was  a feeling  of  sympathy 
that  had  moved  him  to  rescue  the  little  savage, 
and  to  send  him  home  to  the  Hermitage. 
Lyncoya’s  situation  had  so  closely  resembled 
his  own,  at  a time  when  the  fortunes  of  war 
had  left  him,  likewise,  alone  in  the  world. 

The  Crackers  leaned  their  elbows  upon  the 
table,  and  studied  the  dim  old  sheets  until  the 
Mate  called  bedtime.  Then  they  crept  into 


A RESCUE. 


191 

bed,  wondering  if  they,  too,  might  not  be  so 
fortunate  as  to  have  the  privilege  of  fighting 
for  their  country  some  day,  and  speculating 
upon  the  chances  of  a rebellion  on  the  part  of 
old  Tiger  Tail,  the  peaceable  old  chief  over  on 
the  Indian  River. 

The  following  morning  there  was  a consul- 
tation at  Col  Alto.  The  Mate  was  closeted 
for  more  than  an  hour  with  the  three  little 
Crackers. 

The  Captain,  passing  the  door,  which  was 
locked  upon  the  inside,  heard  a sound  as  of 
some  one  rehearsing  a speech.  He  heard 
enough  to  give  him  a hint  as  to  what  was 
going  on.  His  face  wore  a smile  as  he  tip- 
toed past  the  door,  and  he  whispered  himself 
something  about  a steam  yacht:  “They  shall 
have  a steam  yacht  if  they  do  that,”  he  told 
himself. 

Later  in  the  day  William  was  despatched  to 
the  Joiner  cabin  to  tell  the  boys,  Luke  and 
Jake,  they  were  especially  wanted  at  Col  Alto. 

The  Crackers  met  them  at  the  gate,  and  the 
Mate,  concealed  behind  the  jasmine  arbor,  saw 
Joe,  as  master  of  ceremonies,  conduct  the  vis- 
itors to  the  steps  that  led  down  to  the  lake 


192 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


shore,  where  the  two  rowboats  were  lying,  side 
by  side.  From  her  position  she  could  see  and 
hear  all  that  passed. 

The  little  Crackers  had  been  persuaded  to 
give  one  of  the  rowboats  to  the  Joiner  boys. 
She  had  made  it  easier  to  accomplish  by  giving 
a little  ceremony  to  the  occasion.  Jack  was 
to  make  the  presentation  speech,  with  Joe  to 
prompt  him  in  case  of  failure.  James  was 
reserved  for  a last  resort  in  case  both  the 
others  failed. 

“Now,  boys,”  the  Mate  had  said,  “be  very 
careful  not  to  remind  the  boys  of  their  former 
conduct  regarding  the  boat.  Do  not  say  they 
stoic  it,  whatever  you  say.” 

“ But,  mother,  they  did,”  James  had  insisted. 
But  the  Mate  ignored  the  interruption.  “And 
do  not,”  she  continued,  “ give  them  a hint  that 
you  are  buying  them  with  a gift.” 

“ But  we  are,”  James  would  have  it  so. 
“You  know  we  are  giving  them  one  of  our 
boats  so  that  they  will  let  the  other  one  be.” 

“ Why,”  the  Mate  replied,  “ I thought  it  was 
because  you  truly  intended  to  try  to  influence 
the  boys  to  a more  correct  sense  of  honor.” 
James  had  not  responded  to  this  further 
than  by  a doubtful  shake  of  the  head,  so 


THE  LITTLE  CRACKER’S  MAIDEN  SPEECH. 


A RESCUE. 


x95 


that  the  Mate  retired  behind  the  jasmine 
arbor  with  rather  doubtful  feelings  as  to 
the  entire  success  of  the  occasion. 

When  the  boys  reached  the  steps  they 
stopped. 

Joe,  James,  and  Jack  removed  their  caps, 
seeing  which,  the  Joiner  boys  did  the  same. 
Cracker  Jack  stepped  forward  and  began: 

“ Boys,”  said  he,  “ and  — boys  ” (the  speech 
as  taught  by  the  Mate  was  “ boys  and 
friends" ).  “We  sent  for  you  to-day  in  order 
to  present  to  you  ” (it  was  the  little  Cracker’s 
maiden  speech ; there  were  visible  signs  of 
emotion  as  the  speaker  proceeded)  “ to  pre- 
sent to  you  — one  of  the  — one  of  our  boats. 
In  doing  this  we  wish  to  — to  — tell  you  — to 
assure  you  that  — that  — that  we  give  you  this 
boat  to  keep  you  from  stealing  ours  — ” 

“No!”  Joe  hurried  to  the  rescue.  “Not 
that,  Jack;  mother  said  we  mustn’t  mention 
that.  We  give  you  this  boat  for  — for  — 
for  not  stealing  ours.” 

It  was  James’s  turn;  he  realized  that  both 
speakers  had  failed  to  say  the  proper  thing. 
It  rested  with  him,  therefore,  to  smooth  the 
ruffled  feelings  of  the  visitors,  and  at  the 
same  time  to  rescue  the  Mate’s  fine  speech. 


196  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

Full  of  the  importance  of  the  occasion,  he 
rose  proudly  to  the  effort : 

“ The  boys  have  not  said  what  they  intended, 
Luke,”  said  he.  “ They  meant  to  say  that  we 
give  you  this  boat  to  keep  you  from  stealing 
ours  any  more'.' 

And  the  Mate  in  her  arbor  laughed  softly 
and  declared,  ‘“Truth  is  mighty,  and  will 
prevail.’  ” 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


BIJOU  AND  THE  ALLIGATORS. 

“ Dear  me  ! ” exclaimed  the  Mate,  one  morn- 
ing at  the  breakfast-table.  “ Do  you  know, 
Captain,  it  is  almost  a year  since  we  discussed 
the  school  question  ? ” 

“ Eight  months,  mother,”  said  the  little 
Cracker.  “ It  is  only  eight  months.” 

“ Eight  and  four  are  twelve ,”  replied  the 
Mate.  “ Now  that  the  new  house  is  begun, 
the  boys  are  well  and  strong,  the  grove  flour- 
ishing, we  must  think  of  our  Crackers.  Brother 
James  has  offered  to  get  a tutor  from  among 
his  old  college  friends,  and  I have  accepted 
the  offer.  He  promised  to  have  him  here  the 
week  of  our  removal  into  the  new  house.  He 
comes  from  Tennessee.” 

“ I hope  he  isn’t  a softy,”  said  Jack.  “And 
I hope  he  isn’t  as  fierce  as  a bear,  either.” 

“ Was  Old  Hickory  a ‘ softy  ? ’ ” said  James. 
“He  was  a Tennessean,  too.”  At  which  the 


197 


I gS  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

little  Cracker  rushed  to  the  defence  of  his  hero 
by  declaring  that  he  was  not  born  a Tennessean 
really,  since  the  Big  Bend  State  was  at  that 
time  but  a part  of  the  great  Territory  of  North 
Carolina.  “ Though,”  the  little  Cracker  ad- 
mitted, “ he  did  have  a farm,  and  a law  office, 
and  a race-track,  and  was  judge  in  Tennessee.” 

“ Boys,”  said  the  Mate,  “ we  are  not  discuss- 
ing Old  Hickory  just  at  present,  but  your  new 
tutor.  Understand,  he  will  be  here  sometime 
in  October,  and  you  will  then  be  expected  to 
go  gracefully  into  harness.  You  have  had  a 
long,  pleasant  holiday.” 

“ I shall  not  be  sorry  to  go  to  work,  mother,” 
said  Joe.  “ Fun  is  a good  thing,  but  I believe 
a boy  could  get  tired  of  a good  time.  I shall 
be  really  glad  to  see  my  books  again.” 

“ I am  glad  to  hear  it,”  said  the  Mate,  “ and 
I hope  your  example  will  not  be  lost  upon 
your  brothers.” 

At  this  moment  William  put  his  head  in  at 
the  door  to  say  that  Mr.  James  wished  for 
Master  Jack  to  come  over  to  the  Point  on 
Bijou,  and  go  for  a short  ride  with  him. 
He  had  sent  his  man  Ike  over  to  bring  the 
message  and  to  ride  back  with  the  little 
master. 


THE  LITTLE  CRACKER  RODE  OFF  ON  HIS  LITTLE  PONY. 


BIJOU  AND  THE  ALLIGATORS. 


201 


“ May  I,  mother?  ” said  Jack,  his  face  expres- 
sive of  the  pleasure  the  invitation  foretold. 

“ Yes,”  replied  the  Mate,  “ but  don't  ride  too 
near  Uncle  Ike’s  horse  ; it  is  a vicious  animal, 
and  Bijou  might  get  a kick.” 

So  the  little  Cracker  rode  off  on  his  little 
pony,  feeling  very  important  as  well  as  very 
happy. 

A few  minutes  after  Jack’s  departure,  Mr. 
Bus  Joiner  dropped  in.  Dropped  out,  would 
perhaps  more  appropriately  express  the  style  of 
the  visit,  since  he  stood  without,  leaning  upon 
the  window-sill,  a fishing-rod  in  one  hand,  a 
tin  bucket  containing  “ a col’  snack  ” in  the 
other. 

“ Mis’  Parish,”  said  he  to  the  Mate,  who  was 
still  sitting  in  her  place  at  the  breakfast-table, 
polishing  the  spoons,  the  other  members  of 
the  family  having  dispersed  about  the  place 
according  to  their  several  inclinations. 

“ Mis’  Parish,  I drapped  by  ter  tell  yeou 
about  that  thar  nag  o’  Master  Jack’s.” 

“Well,  Mr.  Joiner,”  replied  the  Mate,  “what 
has  Bijou  been  doing  ? I hope  he  hasn’t  been 
troubling  things  over  your  way.” 

“ Lor’,  no,  mu’m,”  said  the  visitor,  “ he 
wouldn’t  do  that ; he’s  too  well  acquainted 


202 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


with  our  folkses  fur  that.  An’  thar  ain't 
nothin’  thar  nohows,  ’thout’n  hit  be  the  ole 
’oman  an’  the  childern.  Hit’s  about  hisse’f 
I ware  a thinkin’ ; he’d  ought  ter  be  kep’  out'n 
the  lake.  I jest  called  by,  drapped  in  as  it  ware, 

ter  say  ter  that  thar  nag 
as  how  ’gators  an’  hosses 
can’t  occupy  the  same 
lake  at  onc't .” 

The  Mate  smiled,  as  she 
rubbed  vigorously  upon 
her  great  - grandmother’s 
silver  teaspoons.  She  was 
about  to  say,  “ Have  you 
notified  the  pony  ? ” but  a 
glance  at  the  sober  face  of 
her  neighbor  caused 
her  to  say  instead : 

“ Has  he  been  in 
the  lake  again,  Mr. 
Joiner  ? ” 

“ Yes,  mu’m.  An’  I’m  aj 'card  the  blind  ’gator 
’ll  fetch  him  off  some  o’  these  days.  Ever 
sence  the  white  sower  ware  took  I hev  been 
a-expectin’  uv  the  nag  ter  go.  I see  his  tracks, 
fresh  tracks,  Mis’  Parish,  showin’  whar  he  hev 
been  in  swimmin’  no  longer’n  yistiddy;  an' 


BIJOU  AND  THE  ALLIGATORS.  203 

sez  I,  the  blind  ’gator’ll  git  yeou  yit,  sir,  some 
o’  these  days,  same’s  it  done  the  white  sower.” 

“ The  white  sow  ! JV/iose  sow  ? ” the  Mate 
inquired  with  interest.  That  was  a calamity 
that  had  not  been  reported  to  her. 

“ Why,  you-unses,”  said  Mr.  Joiner.  “ It 
ware  this  erway.  I ware  deown  ter  the  lake, 
aimin’  ter  ketch  a trouit  fur  we-unses  dinner. 
I ware  tolerble  still  so’s  not  ter  skeer  the  fish 
off,  an’  I reckint  the  big  ’gator  didn’t  know 
I ware  reound.  An’  ez  fur  me,  I ware  not 
thinkin’  o’  the  ’gator  no  more’n  nothin’, 
though  hit  ware  layin’  sorter  pulled  up  out’n 
the  water  like.  Might  a-nibbled  at  me  stid  o’ 
the  sower  if  hit  ware  so  minded,  I ware  that 
clos’t.  But  bein’  blind,  I reckint  he  didn’t 
sight  me.  An’  the  wind  blowin’  contrary,  I 
reckint  he  didn’t  scent  the  flavior  uv  me.  So 
he  jest  lay  thar  an’  snoozed. 

“ Ayfter  a bit  the  white  sower  kem  a-trippin’ 
down  ter  the  water,  nosyin’  inter  things,  an’ 
puttin’  on  all  manner  o’  airs.  Thinkin’  the 
critter’d  nose  inter  my  snack  bucket,  I sez,  sez 
I,  ‘ Sovey  ! ’ 

“ But  she  jest  trotted  right  on,  same’s  ef  I 
hadn’t  soveyed,  right  on,  tell  she  run  smack 
agin  the  big  ’gator.  Sez  I ag’in,  louder’n 


204 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


before  times,  ‘ Sovey  ! ’ An’  sez  she,  peartly, 

‘ Humph ! ’ 

“ An’  jest  then  a big  black  somethin’  riz  up 
out’n  the  water ; a long  tail  whizzed  round,  a 
pair  o’  big  jaws  opened  up,  the  tail  slapped  the 
white  peeg  in,  an’  all  went  deown  together.  I 
see  hit  with  my  own  eyes.  An’  sez  I when 
I see  them  tracks  yistiddy,  ‘ Mr.  Beeshoo,  you- 
uns’ll  go  the  way  o’  the  white  sower  yet,  ef 
yer  hain’t  keerful.’  An’  I thought  hit  ud  look 
onneighborly  not  ter  stop  by  an’  say  so." 

The  Mate  thanked  the  visitor  for  his 
trouble,  and  said  she  would  have  to  “ speak 
to  Bijou.  That  was  a fish  tale  not  to  be 
disregarded.” 

“ A ’ 'gator  tail,  Mis’  Parish,”  the  narrator 
corrected ; “ hit’s  the  ’gators  fights  with  thar 
tails.  I reckint  a ’gator  couldn’t  be  said  ter 
be  a fish.” 

Poor  Bijou, — the  Captain  had  already  threat- 
ened to  sell  him  if  he  could  not  be  kept  away 
from  the  lake.  The  threat  had  created 
such  an  outbreak  among  the  little  Crackers, 
however,  that  the  good  Captain  speedily 
relented. 

“You  must  watch  him  yourselves,  then,”  he 
compromised  the  matter  by  saying.  “ You 


BIJOU  AND  THE  ALLIGATORS.  205 

must  watch  him  yourselves,  ancl  if  the  alli- 
gators eat  him,  you  need  not  expect  another 
pony,  that’s  all.” 

So  the  little  Crackers  had  taken  the  matter 
in  hand,  and  for  some  weeks  there  had  been  no 
report  of  the  pet  having  been  in  the  forbidden 
waters. 

One  morning,  however,  to  cpiote  from  Mr. 
Bus  Joiner,  he  had  “come  up  missing.” 

It  was  the  morning  Jack  rode  over  to  his 
uncle’s  with  Ike ; the  identical  morning  when 
notice  was  served  upon  the  Mate  that  he  would 
surely  “ go  the  way  of  the  white  sower  ” unless 
measures  were  taken  to  prevent. 

Jack  had  ridden  off  in  high  spirits.  He 
found  his  uncle  astride  his  big  bay,  Prince,  at 
the  “ big  gate,”  waiting  for  him. 

In  a little  while  they  were  riding  away,  side 
by  side,  towards  the  hammock,  through  which 
a pleasant,  shaded  road  had  been  cut. 

“We  will  have  to  take  it  leisurely,  Jack,” 
said  Uncle  James,  “and  also  keep  rather  in  the 
shade  of  the  hammock.  Violent  exercise  and 
too  much  heat  are  not  good  for  invalids,  they 
say  back  there  at  1 the  house ; but  they  have 
not  prohibited  story-telling  yet.  So  if  they 
cheat  us  of  a brisk  canter,  we  will  outwit  them 


206 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


by  a pleasant  story.  ‘ It’s  an  ill  wind  turns 
none  to  good,’  Master  Jack.” 

“ That’s  what  mother  says,”  Jack  replied. 
“ Then  she  has  another  good  one  that  might 
fit  into  your  case,  uncle,”  he  continued.  “ It  is 
something  about  ‘ compensation,’  but  it  means 
that  what  you  miss  one  way  is  always  made  up 
to  you  in  another  way.” 

“An  excellent  ‘fit,’  Jack,”  laughed  Uncle 
James,  “ a most  excellent  ‘ fit.’  ” 

So  they  chatted  pleasantly  — the  uncle  and 
nephew  were  very  congenial  company  indeed 
— until  they  reached  the  hammock. 

But  just  as  they  were  entering  the  wood, 
both  horses  stopped,  threw  up  their  heads, 
began  to  breathe  heavily  through  their  nostrils, 
planted  their  fore  feet  firmly,  and  refused  to  stir. 

“ Why,  uncle,”  cried  Jack,  “ I never  saw 
Bijou  do  so  before  — ” 

“ They  smell  some  kind  of  wild  animal,” 
said  Uncle  James,  in  a low  voice.  “ Turn 
back,  Jack;  they  will  not  pass  it.” 

When  the  animals  had  been  wheeled  about, 
Uncle  James  said,  “Ride  back  to  the  house, 
Jack,  and  tell  your  aunt  to  send  my  gun.” 

It  required  no  second  bidding  to  make  the 
little  Cracker  “ ride.” 


BIJOU  AND  THE  ALLIGATORS.  207 

A wild  animal ! An  adventure  come  to  meet 
them  of  its  own  accord  ! It  seemed  too  good  to 
be  true. 

“Wait,”  said  Uncle  James,  as  Jack  was  can- 
tering off. 

“ It  is  a gun , not  one  of  those  little  concerns 
you  boys  are  accustomed  to  handling.  Are 
you  sure  you  can  manage  it  ? ” 

“ Perfectly  sure,  uncle,”  said  Jack.  “ I will 
be  very  careful ; you  need  have  no  fears.” 

“ Go,  then,  and  be  quick  about  it,”  said 
Uncle  James.  And  in  a few  minutes  the  little 
Cracker  came  cantering  back  with  the  gun 
lying  across  the  saddle  before  him. 

“ Is  your  pony  nervous  ? ” said  Uncle  James, 
dismounting,  and  taking  the  gun. 

“ No,  sir,”  said  Jack,  who  was  dismounting, 
also,  “ but  mother  requires  us  to  get  down 
when  there  is  any  shooting.  Besides,  sir,  I 
would  like  to  go  along  with  you.” 

“Well, — I think  it  will  be  safe,”  said  his 
uncle,  half  hesitating.  “ Hitch  your  pony  to  a 
sapling,  and  come.” 

They  had  scarcely  gotten  well  into  the  wood, 
when  they  heard  a low,  fierce  growl  from  a 
jungle  upon  their  right. 

The  uncle  motioned  silence.  “ Something 


208 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


unusual  there,”  he  whispered.  “ The  creature 
neither  attempts  to  escape  nor  offers  to  attack 
us.  Wait  here,  Jack.” 

Jack  stood  in  the  road,  while  his  uncle  broke 
an  opening  into  the  thicket  from  which  the 
savage  snarls  were  sounding. 

A moment  later  there  was  a sharp  report, 
and  the  snarling  ceased.  Then  Uncle  James 
appeared  on  the  edge  of  the  thicket,  laughing. 

“ I say,  Jack,”  he  called,  “ how  long  is  it 
since  something  ran  away  with  my  steel  trap 
in  your  father’s  banana  grove  ? ” 

“ Eight  months,  uncle,”  replied  Jack.  “ I 
heard  mother  say  so  this  very  morning.” 

“ Eight  months!  Come  here,  Jack.” 

The  boy  followed  his  uncle  into  the  thicket, 
where,  when  the  brush  and  growth  had  been 
pushed  aside,  he  saw  a lean,  half  starved  wild- 
cat lying  there  dead,  a bullet  in  its  brain,  and 
the  missing  trap  still  clinging  to  its  foot. 

“ Now,”  said  his  uncle,  “ what  do  you  think 
of  that  ? ” 

“ I think,”  said  the  astonished  little  Cracker, 
“ that  at  last  I know  who  stole  the  bear-trap.” 
Such  a terrible-looking  thief  as  it  was ! It 
had  carried  the  steel  trap  on  its  foot  for  eight 
months. 


THE  TRAP  FOUND. 


BIJOU  AND  THE  ALLIGATORS. 


21  I 


“ It  has  literally  starved. said  Uncle  James. 
“ But  the  real  wonder  is,  that  it  did  not  die 
long  ago.” 

He  stooped,  touched  a spring,  and  removed 
the  trap. 

“ So,  simple,  and  yet  so  sure,”  he  said.  “ And 
that  is  an  idea  worth  noting,  Jack.  The  sure 
things  of  life  are  operated  by  a very  simple 
machinery  ; it  is  the  complications  that  make 
confusion.  You  will  find  the  rule  to  apply  to 
the  moral  as  well  as  the  natural  world,  where 
truth  is  the  simple  thing  that  unlocks  the  traps 
set  for  the  unwary.” 

“ Yes,  sir,”  said  Jack,  wondering  vaguely  how 
it  was  that  his  uncle  always  found  something 
wonderful,  a lesson,  a sermon,  or  a story,  in 
everything  with  which  he  came  in  contact. 

“Uncle,” — the  lost  trap  was  too  much  for 
the  little  Cracker’s  patience,  however,  — “I 
should  like  to  ride  home  and  tell  father  about 
that  trap.” 

“ I was  about  to  suggest  that  we  change  our 
plans,  and  make  Col  Alto  our  objective  point,” 
said  Uncle  James.  “ That  will  be  a very  good 
ride  on  a morning  like  this.  Why,  Jack,  where 
is  your  pony  ? ” 

Sure  enough,  Bijou  was  missing.  In  the 


212 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


excitement,  the  little  Cracker  had  not  secured 
him  well,  and  he  had  contrived  to  slip  his  fas- 
tenings and  had  run  away  to  Col  Alto. 

“Well,”  said  Jack,  “ I call  that  cool!” 

“Gone  home,  I suspect,”  said  Uncle  James. 
“ Scramble  up  behind  me  ; the  Prince  will  ‘tote 
double,’  as  Mr.  Joiner  says,  and  we  will  soon 
catch  up  with  the  runaway.” 

Soon  they  related  the  wonderful  story  of  the 
stolen  trap  to  the  family  at  Col  Alto.  There 
had  been  exclamations  and  interrogations  suffi- 
cient to  fill  a chapter.  In  the  midst  of  the  ex- 
citement, William  appeared  around  the  house 
and  beckoned  to  Jack. 

“ I hates  to  tell  you,  Master  Jack,”  said  he, 
“but  if  you  please  to  just  look  a-there  /” 

He  pointed  to  Bijou,  standing  meekly  by 
with  bowed  head  and  subdued  air,  very  much 
resembling  a boy  who  had  been  into  forbidden 
paths  and  has  met  with  unpleasant  adventures. 

Jack  gave  one  long,  horrified  glance  at  the 
pony’s  flank,  which  lay  open  to  the  bone,  the 
skin  and  torn  flesh  hanging  almost  to  the 
o;round.  In  an  instant  he  understood  that  at 
last  the  prophecies  of  Cracker  Bus  had  been 
fulfilled,  and  that  Bijou  had  come  in  contact 
with  the  blind  alligator.  Jack  never  once 


BIJOU  AND  THE  ALLIGATORS.  213 

thought  of  scolding,  however ; that  ugly,  gaping 
wound  drove  all  feeling  save  that  of  tenderness 
from  his  heart.  His  lip  quivered,  something 
suspiciously  sparkling  sprang  to  his  eyes  and 
trembled  a moment  upon  his  cheek.  And 
then  the  little  Cracker  threw  his  arms  about 
his  pony’s  neck  and  burst  into  tears. 

“Oh,  Bijou!”  he  sobbed,  “poor,  poor  Bijou! 
Run  for  father,  William;  run  for  father,  quick.” 

But  the  worst  of  all,  to  Jack,  was  the  sewing 
of  the  skin  again. 

First  Bijou  objected  to  being  thrown.  They 
did  get  him  upon  his  side  at  last,  however,  and 
the  Captain  clipped  away  the  bits  of  mangled 
flesh,  bathed  and  anointed  the  wound  until 
the  blood  had  ceased  to  flow;  after  which, 
while  William  and  the  boys  assisted,  he  drew 
the  wound  carefully  together  until  the  gaping 
rent  was  closed,  tenderly  replaced  the  skin,  or 
hide,  and  with  skilful,  dexterous  stitches  fas- 
tened it  into  position. 

“And  now,”  said  he,  when  the  last  stitch 
had  been  taken  and  Bijou  assisted  to  his  feet 
again,  “ if  lockjaw  doesn't  set  in,  he  is  safe 
enough.  But,”  he  added,  slowly  and  earnestly, 
“ there  will  be  a scar." 

And  there  was  indeed  an  ugly  scar,  that 


214 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


never  disappeared ; the  Crackers  called  it  his 
“ Insignia  of  Disobedience 

One  thing  was  noticeable,  however,  — Bijou 
never  ventured  into  the  lake  again. 

The  Mate,  to  be  sure,  could  not  miss  the 
opportunity  for  turning  her  little  sermon  out 
of  the  adventure. 

“ Ponies,”  said  she,  “ are  like  boys ; they 
must  needs  have  their  lesson  now  and  then. 
The  more  severe  the  lesson,  the  more  effect- 
ive. But  disobedience  usually  leaves  its  scar. 
Sometimes  it  is  only  an  expression  left  upon 
the  face ; sometimes  it  is  not  visible  to  the  eye 
at  all ; but  the  scar  is  there,  whether  it  be  the 
disfiguring  of  the  body  or  merely  a little  un- 
seen, unsuspected  hurt,  deep  down  in  the  heart, 
it  is  there.  And  it  affects,  according  to  its 
magnitude,  all  after  life.” 

And  the  Crackers  understood. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


MORE  ALLIGATORS. 

The  Crackers  came  in  one  morning  with 
some  very  wonderful  news,  — good  news  it  was 
to  the  people  all  around  the  lake.  Bijou  must 
have  thought  it  good  news,  also,  if  he  could 
have  had  an  opinion  on  the  subject. 

The  old  blind  alligator  was  dead.  His  ugly 
carcass  had  been  washed  upon  the  shore  by 
the  waves  that  very  morning. 

Upon  investigation  he  was  found  to  be 
totally  blind,  both  eyes  having  been  put  out 
evidently  by  a bullet  that  had  glanced  them, 
without  striking  that  vital  spot,  which  alone 
deals  death  to  the  alligator,  just  between  the 
eyes. 

“ But  the  last  bullet  brought  him  down, 
mother,”  said  Joe.  “ The  last  bullet  went 
‘slam  home,’  as  Mr.  Joiner  says.” 

“ And  who  slammed  it,  may  I inquire  ? ” said 
the  Mate,  at  which  the  Crackers  laughed  heart- 


2I5 


216 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


ily,  and  the  little  Cracker  cried,  “ Why,  don’t 
you  know?  It  was  the  Joiner  boys.  They 
were  out  in  our  boat,  — the  one  we  gave  them, 
— hunting  ’gators  for  a man  at  Jacksonville 
who  keeps  a curiosity  store.  They  had  their 
father’s  gun,  and  when  the  big  ’gator  came 

along  out  of  the 
water  and  spread 
himself  out  to  dry 
on  the  shore,  Jake 
just  dropped  the 
boat  around  to  a 
point  near  by  and 
got  out,  and  tipped 
around  to  the  blind 
alligator’s  head  and 
chunked  a bullet 
into  his  old  noodle 
that  laid  him  out,  / 
tell  you.” 

“ Why,  what  a description,”  laughed  the 
Mate,  who  perceived  at  once  that  the  killing 
of  the  blind  alligator  had  worked  a change  in 
the  boys’  respect  for  their  young  neighbors. 
“ And  then  what  happened  ?” 

“Why,”  said  James,  “the  waves  took  him 
off,  for  he  made  a lunge,  you  may  be  sure,  and 


MORE  ALLIGATORS. 


217 


the  boys  didn’t  know  for  certain  that  he  was 
dead  until  this  morning,  when  the  men  found 
him  washed  up  again.  The  boys  said  they 
were  ‘ mighty  glad,  so’s  their  pappy  wouldn’t 
whoop  ’em  for  stealing  the  gun. 

“And  when  they  investigated  him,”  it  was 
Joe’s  turn  to  add  his  testimony  to  the  recital, 
“ they  found  him  to  be  totally  blind.” 

“ And  did  the  investigation  find  him  to  be 
totally  deaf  also  ? ” said  the  Mate.  At  which 
the  Crackers  looked  dubious  for  a moment, 
until  the  middle  Cracker  causdit  the  twinkle 
in  the  Mate’s  eye  and  took  his  cue  from  it. 

“ I think  not,  mother,”  said  he,  “ because 
when  found  nobody  said  anything  about  his 
not  having  any  ears,  though  they  did  say  he 
had  no  eyes.” 

The  Mate  laughed  heartily  over  this  clever 
retort  upon  the  part  of  the  viiddle  Cracker. 

“That  reminds  me,”  said  she,  “of  a story  I 
once  read  of  a man  who  was  supposed  to  have 
been  lost  at  sea.  He  was  the  heir  to  a great 
estate,  it  seems,  and  his  friends  took  measures 
at  once  for  finding  his  corpse,  ‘ for  decent  burial.’ 
In  all  the  leading  journals  there  were  adver- 
tisements for  him  ; their  notices  informed  the 
public  that  the  missing  dead  man  might  be 


2iS  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

‘easily  identified  by  a red  head,  a game  leg, 
and  itn  impediment  in  his  speech.  Also  he 
was  a trifle  near-sighted.’  ” 

Still,  for  all  the  joking,  the  Mate  was  truly 
glad  the  old  terror  had  been  slain. 

“ I hope,”  said  she,  “ we  will  have  no  more 
alligator  adventures,  but  shall  be  free  from  the 
horrid  creatures,  their  presence  and  their  dep- 
redations, from  this  time  forth  and  forever. 
We  are  becoming  civilized  citizens;  let  the 
alligators  and  the  wildcats  understand  that.” 

In  spite  of  the  wish,  however,  she  was  des- 
tined to  hear  a good  deal  more  of  the  ugly 
inhabitants  of  the  lake.  It  was  about  this  time 
that  Florida  began  to  attract  the  universal 
attention  of  Northerners  seeking  a milder 
winter  climate.  Each  winter  the  immigration 
had  increased,  until  she  could  scarcely  enter- 
tain her  guests. 

With  the  coming  of  strangers  a new  enter- 
prise had  opened  up,  — the  manufacture  of 
bags,  pockets,  purses,  and  belts,  from  the  skin 
of  alligators. 

In  addition  to  this,  as  if  Dame  Fashion  had 
determined  to  assist  the  Crackers  in  ridding 
themselves  of  their  pests,  the  baby  alligators 
began  to  be  wanted. 


MORE  ALLIGATORS. 


219 


Souvenirs,  — everybody  must  have  an  alli- 
gator to  carry  home  and  exhibit  to  their 
friends  at  the  North.  The  “man  in  Jack- 
sonville,” who  kept  the  “ curiosity  store,”  had 
notified  the  lakeshore  people  that  he  would 
purchase  at  fifty  cents  each  every  baby  alli- 
gator brought  or  sent  “ in  good  condition  ” to 
his  house  at  Jacksonville. 

A tempting  offer  to  the  Cracker  element 
living  along  the  lakes,  to  whom  fifty  cents 
seemed  a rare  prize  for  the  “varmints.” 

Mr.  Bus  Joiner  went  into  the  business  of 
collecting  and  shipping  alligators  more  briskly, 
perhaps,  than  he  had  ever  been  known  to  go 
into  anything.  Unless,  as  his  wife  suggested, 
“ it  mought  be  his  victuals.” 

There  was  a regular  tri-weekly  steamer  on 
the  lake  at  this  time,  thanks  to  the  orange 
groves,  and  so  the  speculator  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  getting  his  stock  to  Jacksonville  “in 
good  condition.” 

Twice  each  week  he  shipped  a keg  of  alli- 
gators, via  the  lake,  the  Ocklawaha  River  and 
the  St.  Johns,  to  the  market  at  Jacksonville. 

“ Why,  Mis’  Parish,”  he  said  to  the  Mate  one 
morning,  as  he  crossed  the  yard  according 
to  his  custom,  that  being  “ a nigh  cut  ” to  the 


220 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


water,  “ I be  gettin’  rich  a-sellin’  baby  gators. 
I made  ten  dollars  last  week,  an’  eight  the  week 
afore  that.  I aims  to  make  twenty  this  week. 
One  o’  the  hands  on  you-unses  place  hev  told 
me  uv  a place  over  on  the  Long  Islint  whar 
they  air  plentifuller  than  ye  ever  see.  I’m 
aimin’  ter  git  thar  this  mornin’,  if  them  young 
raskils  o’  mine  hain’t  took  ’n’  took  the  boat 
slam  off.” 

“ The  boat  is  down  there,”  said  the  Mate, 
indicating  the  point  below  where  she  had  seen 
the  boys  leave  it  to  follow  her  own  boys  on  a 
gopher  hunt.  “ The  boat  is  down  there ; if 
you  hurry  a little  you  can  get  off  before  the 
boys  return.  I saw  them  going  up  to  the 
grove  with  my  boys  to  hunt  gopher  tortoise. 
But  I tell  you,  Mr.  Joiner,  it  is  a very  un- 
certain business,  hunting  alligators,  and  / 
think  the  risk  overbalances  the  profit.  Look 
out  you  don’t  go  the  way  of  the  white  sow.” 

“ Lor,”  said  the  speculator  in  “ baby  ’gators,” 
with  a knowing  grin,  “ womens  alius  thinks 
that  erway.  My  wife  thinks  jest  like  yeou 
thinks.  That’s  natchel  fur  womens.  They’re 
skerry.” 

The  Mate  did  not  feel  disposed  to  argue  the 
matter ; she  had  sounded  a warning,  without 


MORE  ALLIGATORS. 


221 


effect,  and  she  had  no  more  to  say  on  the 
subject. 

But  as  she  saw  the  man  rowing  off  to  the 
island,  a great  pity  rose  in  her  heart. 

He  was  so  ignorant ; what  else  could  be 
expected  of  him,  than  that  he  should  seize 
each  and  any  opportunity  that  offered  for 
making  a little  money  ? 

Watching  him  thus,  rowing  away  upon  his 
dangerous  errand,  she  thought  of  her  own 
boys,  the  three  darling  little  Crackers,  and 
again  she  resolved  that  their  new  tutor  must 
come  at  once,  — just  as  soon  as  they  were 
moved  into  the  new  house.  “ And  there 
must  be  books  ordered,”  she  said,  aloud,  her 
eyes  still  fixed  upon  the  fast  fading  boat. 
“ Books  are  the  great  foundation  of  all  man- 
hood. Good  books,  good  men ; bad  books, 
doubtful  men.  I shall  order  a carefully 
selected  little  library  for  them  before  I sleep. 
I would  not  have  my  boys  grow  up  into  — 
that , — not  for  the  wealth  of  a world.” 

And  again  she  nodded  towards  the  retreat- 
ing  rowboat. 

Meanwhile  Mr.  Bus  Joiner  entertained  very 
different  views  as  he  paddled  away  to  his 
destination. 


2 22  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

“ Ef  I ketch  fifty  it  ud  make  twenty-five 
dollars,”  he  calculated.  “ But  Lor’,  I hain’t  got 
no  use  fur  all  that  thar  money.  I declar’  to 
goodness  ef  I ain’t  gittin’  right  down  graspin’, 
’sociatin’  ez  I hev  been  a-doin’  uv  with  the  rich 
o’  this  worl’.  Useter  be  I could  manage  on  a 
dollar  or  so  oncet  in  a while,  with  the  help  o’ 
the  good  Lord  what  chucked  the  lake  with 
trouit  an’  the  swammocks  with  wild  meat 
and  palmetter  cabbage.  Lor’,  but  things  hev 
changed,  — changed  mightily  ! ” 

The  change,  or  thoughts  of  it,  seemed  to 
affect  him  greatly,  for  he  dropped  the  oar  in 
the  water  slowly,  as  if  lost  in  thought,  though 
he  gave  no  further  expression  to  his  opinions, 
and  soon  the  boat  touched  the  shore  of  the 
Long  Island,  and  the  old  Cracker  landed. 

The  inevitable  snack,  that  had  occupied  the 
seat  with  him,  seemed  to  have  become  a kind 
of  burden  to  him.  He  intended  making  a tour 
of  the  island ; it  would  be  too  late  for  the 
snack  before  he  returned,  and  it  would  come 
“ onhandy,”  he  argued,  “ ter  fetch  it  round  all 
the  way.” 

Therefore,  in  order  to  rid  himself  of  the 
burden,  and  at  the  same  time  settle  the  quan- 
dary, he  sat  down  on  the  edge  of  the  boat 


MORE  ALLIGATORS. 


and  ate  his  lunch  before  starting  upon  his 
explorations. 

“ I guess  hit’ll  settle  hit”  he  said,  as  he 
opened  the  tin  bucket  and  began  operations 
upon  the  corn  bread,  fried  bacon,  and  turtle 
eggs  that  Mrs.  Joiner  had  “put  up”  for  his 
dinner. 

It  was  not  ten  o’clock  when  he  set  the 
bucket  back  in  the  boat  and  started  around 
the  island  on  the  search  for  “ baby  ’gators.” 

He  intended  to  make  a circuit  of  the  island 
really,  but  concluded  he  had  best  cross  to 
“ t’other  side  ” and  take  it  “ half  ’n  half,  ez 
t’ware.” 

So  he  went  across,  taking  as  straight  line  as 
possible.  In  less  than  an  hour  he  had  reached 
the  shore  at  a point  almost  directly  opposite 
that  upon  which  he  had  left  the  boat.  Then 
he  turned  to  the  right,  “ fur  luck,”  he  told  him- 
self, and  started,  keeping  near  the  shore,  back 
to  his  boat. 

When  he  had  gone  about  half  the  distance 
he  suddenly  stopped ; his  eyes  seemed  ready  to 
burst  their  sockets,  so  wonderful  was  the  sight 
upon  which  he  had  stumbled.  A fortune,  a 
full  fortune  to  him , was  lying  there  at  his  very 
feet,  basking  in  the  sun. 


224 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


“Full  a hunderd,”  he  muttered,  as  he 
tipped  carefully  into  their  midst  and  began 
to  seize  upon  the  small,  wriggling,  serpent-like 
creatures,  the  baby  alligators. 

He  thrust  them  into  his  bosom,  making;  a 
hurried  calculation  the  while.  Now  and  then  a 

harmless  sting 
told  him  that 
even  baby  alli- 
gators were 
“bornded  with 
thar  teeth.” 
Fifty,  — he 
had  caught 
an  even  fifty, 
when,  seeing 
one  somewhat 
larger  than 
the  rest,  he 
made  a grab  for  it,  and  caught  it,  intending  to 
carry  it  along  in  his  hand. 

But  the  alligator  was  not  to  be  so  easily 
carried  off.  It  gave  a sharp,  queer  kind  of  cry, 
and  almost  instantly  the  old  female  appeared 
at  the  water’s  edge. 

She  seemed  to  comprehend  at  one  glance 
that  her  family  was  being  carried  off, 


MORE  ALLIGATORS. 


225 


and  in  two  minutes  she  had  rushed  to  the 
rescue. 

The  robber  dropped  the  alligator  he  was  car- 
rying, and  ran.  But  the  mother  was  between 
him  and  the  boat,  and  in  order  to  reach  it  he 
must  pass  her. 

She  understood  his  design,  he  thought,  for 
she  put  herself  directly  in  his  path  and  began 
to  lash  at  him  with  her  tail. 

At  the  same  moment  the  alligators  he  had 
concealed  in  his  bosom,  hearing  the  snoring  of 
the  old  one,  began  to  reply  to  it.  This  seemed 
to  enrage  the  creature  so  that  she  would  cer- 
tainly have  killed  the  would-be  robber  could 
she  have  reached  him. 

Realizing  that  he  must  rid  himself  of  his 
spoil,  Mr.  Joiner  began  to  tear  the  alligators 
from  his  bosom  and  to  throw  them  out  to  his 
pursuer,  while  he  struck  into  the  hammock  to 
find,  if  possible,  an  opening  to  the  spot  where 
his  boat  lay. 

He  succeeded  in  getting  rid  of  all  the  alli- 
gators except  one.  That  one  had  wriggled 
around  to  his  back,  and  he  could  not  reach  it. 
And  all  the  while  the  creature  kept  up  that 
horrid  crying  noise  that  called  the  mother  to 
pursuit. 


226 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


Breathless,  pale,  and  frightened,  Mr.  Joiner 
reached  the  boat.  His  skin  was  torn,  his  body 
a mass  of  bites  and  bruises,  when  he  tossed  the 
chain  into  the  skiff  and  tumbled  in  after  it, 
leaving  the  mad  alligator  on  the  shore,  so  close 
upon  him  that  he  received  a parting  lash  from 
her  tail  as  he  scrambled  into  the  boat. 

He  pulled  out  as  speedily  as  might  be  ; when 
at  a safe  distance,  and  somewhat  recovered 
from  his  fright,  he  placed  the  oars  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  boat,  and,  allowing  her  to  drift  for 
a moment,  he  thrust  his  hand  into  his  bosom 
and  drew  out  the  remaining  ’gator,  looked  at  it 
steadily  a moment,  — it  was  the  last  of  the  “big 
fortune”  that  had  sunned  in  the  sand  at  his  feet, 
— then  he  quietly  dropped  it  into  the  lake. 

“ Money  made  that  easy  air  boun’  ter  be  on- 
healthy,”  he  said,  as  he  resumed  the  oars.  “ I 
ware  teached  ez  hit  ware  ter  be  ’arned  by  the 
sweat  o’  the  brow,  an’  not  picked  up  in  the  sand.” 
And  from  that  time  forth,  nobody  ever  heard 
of  the  keg  of  baby  alligators  being  shipped 
“twicet  a week”  to  the  house  in  Jacksonville. 

Mr.  Joiner’s  financial  ambitions  seemed  to 
have  adapted  themselves  again  to  “ a dollar 
now  and  then,”  with  which  he  was  to  all  ap- 
pearances content. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


INTO  THE  NEW  HOUSE. 

Truly,  the  pioneers  had  prospered.  “ The 
grove  will  pay  for  itself  in  another  year,”  said 
the  Captain,  as  he  stood  at  the  door  of  the  new 
house , the  Mate  at  his  side,  watching  the  three 
figures  coming  up  from  the  wharf  where  the 
steamer  had  touched  a moment  to  get  the  last 
of  the  oranges,  waiting  to  be  shipped  to  New 
York. 

The  new  house  was  finished  at  last.  It  was 
one  of  those  roomy  old-time  plantation  houses, 
with  deep  galleries,  and  wide  sunny  halls  and 
windows  that  reached  from  floor  to  ceiling 
looking  out  upon  the  lake : that  sheet  of 
sparkling,  sunshiny  water  for  which  the  Mate 
had  never  been  able  to  find  a name  sufficiently 
expressive  of  its  beauty. 

To  the  right  of  the  front  gallery  stood  the 
palm  grove,  with  beds  here  and  there,  of  nat- 
ural flowers,  crimson  camelias  and  white,  scar- 
let geraniums,  and  begonias  of  every  order. 


22  7 


228 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


Yellow  jasmine  and  climbing  roses  were 
everywhere.  The  dainty  smilax  reached  out 
its  tender  tendrils  to  clasp  the  sturdy  palm, 
while  citron,  lime,  and  cocoanut  made  a rare 
“ annex,”  as  the  Mate  was  pleased  to  call  it,  to 
the  palms;  the  whole  being  backed  by  the 
orange-trees  that  stood  between  the  new  house 
and  the  old. 

“ Yes,”  — the  Mate  nestled  her  cheek  against 
the  Captain’s  sleeve,  — “ the  lines  have  fallen 
to  us  in  pleasant  places.” 

It  was  their  first  evening  in  the  new  house ; 
everything  was  in  order,  except  the  hanging  of 
a few  pictures ; even  Polly,  from  her  perch  at 
the  sitting-room  window,  was  calling,  lustily  : 

“Pretty  little  Jacko!  Poor  little  Jacko! 
Funny  little  Jacko  ! ” 

And  from  the  roof  of  the  long  piazza,  to 
which  height  the  new  chain  gave  him  access, 
the  delighted  monkey  rubbed  his  little  brown 
stomach  and  chattered  a response,  of  whose 
meaning  he  alone  was  in  possession.  It  was 
doubtless  satisfactory  to  the  parrot,  however, 
for  she  flapped  her  green  wings  and  shouted 
“ Ha ! ha ! ha ! ” in  her  most  musical  key. 

The  steamer,  with  the  oranges,  passed  on  in 
a track  of  crimson  sunlight  that  faded  into  the 


THE  NEW  HOUSE. 


INTO  THE  NEW  HOUSE. 


23I 


dullish  afterglow  as  the  sun  went  down,  some- 
where beyond  the  lake,  and  the  three  little 
Crackers  were  called  in  to  their  first  supper  in 
the  new  house. 

“ Boys,”  said  the  Mate,  when  they  were  all 
seated  about  the  table,  “ I wish  a little  help 
after  supper.  I am  going  to  hang  the  Gover- 
nor of  Alabama.” 

Then  they  had  a great  laugh  at  the  mother’s 
expense ; one  asked  if  he  was  to  be  hung  by 
the  thumbs ; another  thought  it  should  be 
by  the  heels , while  the  big  Cracker  suggested 
that  “men  were  generally  hung  ‘by  the  neck 
until  they  were  dead.’  ” 

“ And  now,”  said  the  Mate,  when  the  laugh 
had  subsided,  “ we  must  look  around  for  a 
name  for  our  new  place.  Put  on  your  think- 
ing-caps, my  boys ; everybody  must  have  a 
part  in  this.  I have  a fancy,  somehow,  for 
a name  that  has  villa  after  it,  or  to  it.” 

“To  distinguish  us  from  the  natives, 
mother  ? ” asked  the  little  Cracker,  with  a 
chuckle  that  decided  the  fate  of  the  villa 
immediately. 

“No,”  replied  the  Mate;  “since  I have 
really  ‘ come  to  stay,’  to  be  one  of  them,  I 
shall  not  live  in  a villa.  Suggest  something, 


232 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


everybody.  Captain!  Joe!  James!  Sug- 
gestions ! Suggestions  are  in  order.  What 
shall  we  call  our  Florida  home  ? ” 

And  the  Mate,  crossing  her  great-grand- 
mother’s silver  knife  and  fork  upon  her 
plate,  was,  she  announced,  “ ready  to  receive 
nominations.” 

“Call  it  ‘Crow’s  Nest,”’  said  Joe;  “it  is  so 
high  and  homelike.” 

“Call  it  ‘ Buzzard’s  Roost,’  ” scoffed  the  Mate, 
“or  ‘Chicken  Coop,’  or  ‘Turkey  Top,’  or 
something  after  any  other  convenient  fowl 
or  bird.  Anything  but  a ‘ crow .’  'Let  us  hear 
from  you,  James.” 

“ How  would  ‘ Lake  House  ’ do  ? ” said  the 
middle  Cracker.  “ It  is  so  near  the  lake,  and 
on  one  of  her  highest  bluffs ; and  it  certainly 
is  a house,  mother.” 

“Then  we  might  call  it  ‘Boat  House’  just 
as  appropriately,”  laughed  the  Mate.  “No 
boys,  you  have  not  touched  my  idea,  yet. 
Cracker  Jack,  let  us  hear  from  you.” 

The  little  Cracker  very  gravely  followed  his 
mother’s  example  of  laying  aside  his  knife  and 
fork. 

“ Your  great-great-grandmother’s,”  whispered 
the  big  Cracker.  Jack  paid  no  heed,  however, 


INTO  THE  NEW  HOUSE. 


233 

to  the  sly  suggestion  that  was  intended  to 
upset  the  gravity  with  which  he  entered  upon 
the  important  business  before  him. 

“ Mother,”  said  the  dear  little  Cracker,  “let’s 
build  a town.” 

“A  — ‘ town  ? ’ ” 

The  Mate  came  very  near  upsetting  her 
great-grandmother’s  coffee-urn  into  her  lap. 

“ Yessum,”  said  the  Cracker.  “A  town; 
and  let’s  name  the  town  instead  of  the  house. 
There  are  nearly  a hundred  men  employed  on 
our  two  places,  uncle’s  and  father’s.  Some  of 
them  have  brought  their  families  with  them, 
and  I heard  uncle  say  the  others  would  like 
to  do  so.  Two-thirds  of  these  men  are  white, 
I heard  father  say  that ; and  these  men,  with 
us  and  the  Joiners,  are  cpiite  enough  to  start 
a town.  Let’s  do  it,  and  call  it  ‘ Sweet 
Orange.’  ” 

“ Why,  bless  the  boy,  what  a head  for  busi- 
ness,” said  the  Captain.  The  Mate  screamed 
“ Mercy  me  ! ” and  began  an  involuntary  ap- 
plause with  the  tips  of  her  great-grandmother’s 
knife  and  fork. 

“ We  will  do  it,”  said  the  Captain.  “ I shall 
open  a store,  and  build  a church,  and  set  up  a 
blacksmith’s  shop  for  Joiner,  who  is  ‘ toler’ble 


234  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

handy’  about  business  like  that.  Yes,  mother, 
we  will  ‘ build  a town'.  ” 

“ That  reminds  me,”  said  the  Mate,  “ of  my 
old  Latin  class.  There  was  one  great  dunce 


in  the  class  who  had  managed  somehow  to 
pull  along  as  far  as  the  Reader.  It  was  Bul- 
lion’s old  Reader,  and  I remember  the  exact 
sentence.  It  was  book  sixth  of  the  Roman 
history.  The  sentence  begins  1 Anno  urbis 


INTO  THE  NEW  HOUSE. 


235 


condi tee  sexcentesimo  septuagesimo  sexto , L. 
Licinio  — ’ 

“ At  examination  time,  which  was  a great 
day  in  those  times,  — and  the  examination  was 
always  oral,  and  the  teachers  were  always  ner- 
vous for  fear  their  pupils  would  fail  to  do  them 
as  much  credit  as  would  be  expected,  for  the 
‘ friends  and  acquaintances  ’ of  the  school  were 
expected  to  be  present,  and  it  was  considered 
a great  disgrace  to  ‘ miss,’  that  is,  not  to  be 
able  to  answer  every  question  put  to  you, — 
well,  the  Latin  class  was  called,  and  as  luck 
or  skilful  manoeuvring  on  the  part  of  the 
teacher  would  have  it,  our  dunce  was  the  first 
one  called  upon  to  exhibit  her  ability  in 
translating. 

“ She  opened  her  book,  and  startled  both 
school  and  faculty  by  announcing  to  the  hall 
full  of  visitors  that  ‘ Anno  built  a city l I am 
afraid  Jack’s  town  will  be,  like  Anno’s,  a mis- 
take in  translation.  Still,  Captain,  I — ” 

She  put  her  great-grandmother’s  silver  tongs 
into  the  sugar  bowl,  lifted  three  lumps,  — they 
were  not  blocks  in  those  days,  but  lumps , — 
dropped  them  into  the  Captain’s  cup  that  had 
been  sent  back,  like  Oliver  Twist’s  bowl,  for 
“ more,”  poured  in  the  cream,  the  coffee,  and 


236  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

then  (nobody  else  had  spoken,  either ; they 
knew  those  grand  pauses  of  the  Mate’s  always 
meant  something  to  come)  she  spoke  : 

“It  isn’t  a bad  idea,  — no,  it” — another 
pause  — “ it  is  a — really  good  thought.  Well 
do  it , Captain.  We  will  build  a town  and  call 
it  ‘Sweet  Orange.’  Only,  we  will — /will  — 
write  to  old  Tiger  Tail,  the  chief,  formerly  at 
Okahumpka,  but  lately  removed  to  a settle- 
ment on  the  Indian  River,  and  get  the  Indian 
word  for  ‘ Sweet  Orange.’  And,  since  one 
great  thought  suggests  a thousand,  I shall  also 
ask  the  chief  for  the  name  of  our  lake.  It 
ought  to  be  ‘ Sunbeams,’  though  it  is  just  as 
like  to  be  the  ‘Lake  of  the  Spotted  Toad’ 
as  anything  else. 

“ I shall  write  to-night.  And  while  we  are 
about  it,  Captain,  suppose  you  do  a little  cor- 
responding on  the  subject  of  the  steam  )racht 
you  promised  the  pioneers.  Since  they  have 
learned  to  ‘ paddle  their  own  canoe  ’ to  perfec- 
tion, build  cities,  and  otherwise  interest  them- 
selves in  the  matters  of  progress,  I think  they 
are  entitled  to  promotion.” 

This  suggestion  won  the  hearty  approval  of 
the  three  little  Crackers.  They  were  on  the 
verge  of  forgetting  themselves  and  giving  the 


INTO  THE  NEW  HOUSE. 


2 37 


Mate  a ‘ rousing  cheer,’  but  were  prevented  by 
her  rising  at  the  very  first  intimation  of  such  a 
thing  and  declaring  she  was  going,  at  once,  to 
write  the  letter  to  old  Tiger  Tail  over  on 
Indian  River. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


YALAI-IA  ! 

The  three  little  Crackers  had  been  occupy- 
ing, with  their  parents,  the  new  house  for 
about  one  month,  when  one  bright  morning, 
early,  the  Captain  ordered  the  “no-top”  brought 
to  the  door,  and  drove  off  to  the  post-office  at 
Okahumpka. 

He  had  acted  very  mysteriously,  the  boys 
thought,  asking  none  of  them  to  accompany 
him,  and  giving  such  short  replies  to  their 
cpiestions  they  could  not  fail  to  understand 
that  he  did  not  care  to  be  interrogated. 

In  fact,  matters  had  been  “kind  o’  dark,”  the 
Crackers  thought,  for  several  weeks  now. 

The  Captain  and  Mate  had  held  several 
private  conferences,  to  which  nobody  had  been 
admitted  except  Uncle  James,  who  had  ridden 
over  twice  upon  some  mysterious  mission. 

The  boys  felt  somehow  as  if  they  were  badly 
treated.  And  when  the  Captain  drove  off  in 

238 


YALAHA ! 


239 

that  indifferent  way,  they  felt  as  if  they  no 
longer  had  any  say-so  in  matters  at  all. 

Then,  too,  the  Mate  had  managed  to  send 
them  upon  some  kind  of  errand,  as  far  from 
the  wharf  as  possible,  whenever  the  steamer 
came  in,  — as  if  determined  to  take  from  them 
even  that  one  poor  little  pleasure. 

They  were  not  in  a very  good  frame  of 
mind  that  morning  when  the  Captain  drove 
off. 

“S’posin’  we  take  a row,  anyhow,”  said  Jack; 
“ it  will  help  us  forget  how  we  are  not  wanted 
about  the  house.” 

“‘S’posin”  you  try  to  talk  like  Mr.  Joiner’s 
Jake,”  said  Joe.  “I  believe  you  could  ‘a-mos’ 
do  it.” 

“Boys!  Boys!”  the  Mate  was  calling  from 
the  front  door.  “ Do  you  not  wish  to  go  over 
to  uncle’s  to  spend  the  day  ? ” 

The  Crackers  were  about  to  shout  a hearty 
affirmative,  when  James,  glancing  across  the 
water,  perceived  that  the  steamer  was  coming 
in. 

“Look  there,”  said  he.  “Just  wants  to  get 
rid  of  us.  No,  mother,”  he  shouted,  “we 
would  rather  watch  the  steamer.” 

“ Boys ! ” And  this  time  there  was  a hint 


240 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


of  impatience,  alarm  indeed,  in  the  Mate’s 
voice.  “ Boys,  I say,  come  here  instantly.” 
There  was  no  mistaking  that  call,  what- 
ever doubt  they  may  have  felt  regarding  the 
first. 

“ Boys,”  said  she,  when  sulking,  fretful,  and 
impatient,  they  stood  at  her  side,  “ you  are  to 
go  at  once  to  Drake  Point.  Your  uncle 
knows  that  — ah!”  The  Mate  had  been  very 
near  to  telling  a secret. 

“Your  uncle  is  expecting  you.  You  are 
not  to  return  until  William  calls  for  you  with 
Bijou  and  the  ‘no-top.’  You  are  to  be  — ” 

“ Mother,” — Cracker  James’s  eyes  were  fixed 
upon  the  incoming  steamer, — “isn’t  the  steamer 
towing  something  this  way?  ” 

“You  are  to  go  at  once,”  said  the  Mate. 
“ And  — ” 

“ But,  mother,  the  steam — ” 

“ Will  you  let  the  steamer  be?”  cried  the 
Mate.  “ Ike  is  waiting  with  the  buggy  from 
the  Point  to  carry  you  over  there.  Go!”  And 
the  Mate  actually  took  the  middle  Cracker 
by  the  shoulders  and,  turning  him  about, 
pushed  him  into  the  hall  and  out  at  the 
back  door,  where  she  hurried  the  three  into 
the  buggy  and  started  them  off  with  all  des- 


YALAHA ! 


24I 


patch,  just  at  the  moment  when  the  steamer 
whistled  for  the  wharf. 

Even  then  Cracker  James  looked  back  to 
say : 

“Just  please  let  us  see  her  come — ” 

“Go!”  she  commanded,  and  thrusting  her 
fingers  into  her  ears,  the  Mate  ran  in,  and, 
dropping  into  a chair,  laughed  until  the  tears 
ran  down  her  cheeks. 

Indeed  she  laughed 
until  William  put  his 
head  in  at  the  window 
to  say: 

“ Miss  Lou,  hit’s 
come.” 

Then  she  remem- 
bered, and,  seizing 
her  garden  hat,  ran 
down  to  the  wharf  to  welcome  “hit”  into  port. 

It  was  three  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  before 
the  “ no-top,”  with  Bijou  in  tow,  started  for  the 
Point. 

It  was  nearly  an  hour  later  when  the.  Mate 
heard  the  boys  talking  to  the  monkey  at  the 
back  door.  She  went  out  at  once  to  them,  and 
at  once  they  knew  that  something  had  hap- 
pened. There  were  to  be  no  more  secrets  to 


242 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


shut  them  off  from  each  other ; the  old  good, 
friendly  times  had  come  back  again ; they  read 
it  in  her  face  before  she  led  them  in,  then  out 
again  at  the  front  door. 

Several  gentlemen  were  standing  on  the 
wharf,  among  them  the  Captain ; and  the  Mate 
said,  as  she  led  the  way  down  to  join  them, 
with  the  three  little  Crackers  in  tow: 

“Your  father  brought  two  gentlemen  home 
with  him  from  Okahumpka  to-day.  They 
came  that  far  on  the  train.” 

Before  the  Crackers  could  reply,  they  had 
reached  the  steps  leading  down  to  the  wharf. 
Suddenly  they  stopped ; and  such  an  expres- 
sion as  came  into  their  faces,  and  such  a shout 
as  went  up  from  three  little  throats,  it  would 
have  done  your  heart  good  to  have  seen  and 
heard. 

Lying  upon  the  water,  as  quietly  at  home  as 
if  she  had  been  there  always,  was  the  daintiest, 
sauciest  little  green  yacht,  with  red  and  white 
curtains  waving  a merry  “ how-do  ” to  the 
astonished  little  Crackers  staring  at  her  as  if 
she  had  suddenly  dropped  upon  them  from  the 
clouds. 

A graceful  line  of  smoke  was  curling  up- 
wards from  a funny  little  stack,  and  while  they 


YALAHA ! 


243 


stood  staring,  a saucy  little  whistle  sounded, 
and  the  Captain’s  voice  shouted : 

“ All  aboard  the  Dot'' 

The  Dot!  What  a darling  little  Dot  it  was! 
The  Mate  led  them  down  to  the  gentlemen, 
who  were  evidently  waiting  to  go  aboard  with 
them. 

And  then,  for  the  first  time,  the  Crackers 
remembered  there  was  company,  and  that  they 
were  called  upon  to  pay  their  respects  to  the 
guests,  who,  so  far,  had  received  very  little 
notice  from  them. 

The  Mate  said  nothing  by  way  of  introduc- 
tion, and,  thinking  it  rather  peculiar,  the  big 
Cracker  glanced  from  his  mother  to  the  visitors 
a moment,  and  then  he  stepped  forward,  and, 
removing  his  hat,  offered  his  hand  to  one  of 
the  guests,  while  he  cried : 

“ Why,  mother ! Mother,  if  it  isn’t  the 
Governor  of  Alabama ! ” 

“ And  this  gentleman,”  said  the  Mate,  when 
the  three  Crackers  had  shaken  the  hand  of 
their  Alabama  friend,  “ is  our  new  tutor, 
Mr.  Long.  Mr.  Long,  let  me  present  to 
you  the  three  little  Crackers  from  down  in 
Dixie.” 

And  when  the  Crackers  had  each  given  a 


244 


THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 


hand  to  their  new  instructor,  the  Captain 
called,  “ All  aboard  for  the  Dot”  and  the 
happy  company  “ took  passage.” 

The  Captain  was  at  the  engine;  he  had  been 
an  excellent  engineer  in  the  first  days  of  his 
manhood.  He  called  to  the  Mate,  as  she  was 
about  to  settle  herself  comfortably  among  the 
cushions  that  William  had  brought  down,  to 
know  if  she  would  take  the  rudder  and  direct 
the  course  of  the  Dot. 

“ The  rudder  ? ” cried  the  Mate.  “ Why,  I 
do  not  so  much  as  know  where  it  is.” 

Then  there  was  a great  laugh  at  the  Mate’s 
expense,  and  the  Captain  sent  a momentary 
thrill  of  alarm  into  the  hearts  of  the  three 
Crackers  by  announcing  that  it  was  impossible 
to  give  the  company  a ride,  unless  some  one 
should  take  the  rudder. 

It  was  a great  relief  to  the  boys  when  the 
new  tutor  rose  and  offered  to  pilot  the  yacht, 
which  offer  was  very  cheerfully  accepted  by 
the  engineer. 

He  proved  such  a skilful  pilot,  the  Captain 
laughingly  inquired  if  he  had  learned  his  trade 
in  Tennessee  waters. 

“No,”  said  he;  “our  streams  are  as  fair  as 
any,  but  our  people  have  not  learned,  as  yet,  to 


YALAHA ! 


245 


seek  for  pleasure  from  them.  I once  belonged 
to  a yachting  club  at  college  in  New  Bngland ; 
I like  boating.” 

The  Crackers  liked  him  from  that  moment : 
he  had  been  a boy  himself ; he  liked  boating. 
Oh,  they  would  have  good  times  on  the  Dot 
with  the  new  tutor  at  the  rudder. 

They  were  very  happy  Crackers  indeed. 
They  examined  every  nook  and  cranny  about 
the  saucy  little  Dot , not  forgetting  the  long, 
horn-like  tin  box,  in  which  the  Captain  had 
stowed  the  “ ship’s  papers.”  They  read  his 
defense  as  engineer,  giving  him  permission 
to  run  the  Dot;  then  they  examined  the 
rules  and  the  signals,  and  wished  for  the  big 
steamer  to  pass,  in  order  that  they  might  sa- 
lute her. 

And  at  last,  when  they  had  seen  all  there 
was  to  see,  the  Mate  called  for  attention 
while  she  removed  from  her  pocket  two  let- 
ters. 

One  was  a very  pompous,  important-looking 
document,  and  bore  the  Washington,  D.  C., 
postmark. 

The  other  was  a small,  queer-looking  yellow 
envelope,  plentifully  toned  with  finger-marks, 
and  adorned  with  the  funniest  zisfzas:  writinsr 

OO  O 


246  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

that  had  ever  fallen  under  the  eyes  of  the 
three  Crackers. 

“ This,”  said  the  Mate,  tapping  the  small 
yellow  envelope  with  her  forefinger,  “ is  from  my 
friend,  Tiger  Tail,  on  the  Indian  River.  It  is 
written,  however,  by  Tom  Tiger,  son  of  the 
chief,  for  reasons  that  you  will  soon  under- 
stand.” 

She  opened  the  letter  (it  was  more  than  three 
weeks  old,  but  the  Crackers  did  not  suspect  it), 
and  read  it  aloud,  though  the  company,  after 
examining  the  writing,  wondered  how  she  had 
been  able  to  get  the  meaning  out  of  those 
curious  letters.  It  said  : 

“ Got  your  letter.  In  our  language  sweet  orange  is 
Ya-la-ha.  Sour  orange  is  Ya-lap-pa.  Your  lake  is  Lake 
of  Sunbeams,  in  our  language  Astatula. 

“My  son  Tom  Tiger  writes  the  letter,  the  old  chief 
know  not  to  write.  From 

“The  Chief  Tiger  Tail.” 

The  Mate  folded  the  letter  amid  general 
applause.  “ I am  so  glad  to  get  the  name  of 
our  lake,”  she  said.  “ And  to  think  it  is  truly, 
after  all,  the  Lake  of  Sunbeams ! I was  so 
afraid  it  would  be  Spotted  Toad.  And  our 
town,  that  is  to  be,  is  Yalaha.  Now  boys, 


YALAHA ! 


247 


pronounce  it:  Y a- la-ha ! Ya/kha;  with  the 

accent  on  the  second  syllable.  Good!  Now 
you  may  give  three  cheers,  I see  you  can 
scarcely  keep  them  down,  one  for  Yalaha, 
one  for  the  Dot,  and  one  for  the  Lake  of 
Sunbeams,  Astatula.” 

“ And  a tiger  for  the  old  chief,”  said  the 
Governor  of  Alabama,  quickly.  And  the 
Crackers,  the  Mate,  the  Captain,  the  new 
tutor,  and  even  the  Governor  himself  re- 
sponded to  the  very  best  of  their  ability. 

“ And  now,”  said  the  Mate,  opening  the 
official-looking  document  from  Washington, 
“ we  will  proceed  with  our  town.” 

The  document  advised  that  from  that  time 
forth  a post-office  would  be  enrolled  among 
the  government’s  list  of  offices,  to  be  called 
“ Yallaha." 

The  Mate  dropped  the  letter  upon  her  lap 
and  groaned.  The  seal  had  been  set,  the 
stamp  ordered ; the  thing  was  done,  and  there 
was  no  undoing  it.  Yallaha ! And  the  old  chief’s 
word  was  Yalaha.  The  Captain,  poor  fellow, 
had,  in  making  the  application,  thoughtlessly 
added  an  to  Tom  Tiger  Tail’s  spelling. 
The  Mate  was  in  despair. 

“ Now,  isn’t  it  too  bad  ! ” said  she.  “ Isn’t  it 


248  THREE  LITTLE  CRACKERS. 

just  too  bad  to  spoil  our  pretty  Indian  name 
so!  ” 

“ Oh,”  said  the  Captain,  as  he  let  off  a little 
more  steam  and  signalled  the  steersman  to 
head  the  Dot  homeward,  “ it  doesn’t  matter. 
It  really  doesn’t  matter  in  the  least,  Sue  ; one 
/ more  or  less  is  nothing,  and  nobody  else  is 
going  to  write  to  old  Tiger  Tail  to  find  out 
if  we  have  spelled  our  town  correctly.  It 
doesn’t  matter  at  all.” 

“But,”  insisted  the  Mate,  “it  does  matter. 
Why,  I can  hear  Mr.  Bus  Joiner  this  blessed 
minute,  in  my  mind,  explaining  to  the  thou- 
sands who  are  coming  here  by  and  by,  to  pur- 
chase land,  and  to  make  orange  groves,  that 
the  name  of  our  town  is  ‘ Yallerha ” 

And  so  indeed  it  proved.  The  old  Cracker, 
and  the  Cracker's  descendants,  could  never 
teach  their  tongues  the  beautiful  Indian 
Yalaha. 

To  the  strangers,  however,  who  have  drifted 
into  the  place,  though  they  sometimes  wonder 
at  Uncle  Sam’s  poor  spelling,  and  sometimes 
talk  of  petitioning  him  against  the  obnoxious 
“/,”  the  rippling  rhythm  of  the  Indian  word 
appeals  at  once ; and  at  once  they  accept  it : 
Yalaha,  sweet  orange. 


YALAHA ! 


249 


But  to  the  natives  who  are  not  affected  by 
the  march  of  progress,  the  home  of  the  three 
little  Crackers,  away  down  in  Dixie,  is  to  this 
good  day  “ Yallerhar.” 


finis 


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family  of  Alabama  children  who  move  to  Florida  and  grow  up  in 
the  South  are  described,  with  the  combined  humor  and  pathos 
which  give  this  gifted  young  Southern  author  so  high  a place  in 
the  ranks  of  American  writers. 

THREE  CHILDREN  OF  GALILEE.  A Life  of  Christ  for 
the  Young.  By  John  Gordon.  Beautifully  illustrated  with 
more  than  one  hundred  text  and  full-page  illustrations  of 
Holy  Land  scenery. 

There  has  long  been  a need  for  a Life  of  Christ  for  the  young, 
and  this  book  has  been  written  in  answer  to  this  demand."  That 
it  will  meet  with  great  favor  is  beyond  question,  for  parents  have 
recognized  that  their  boys  and  girls  want  something  more  than  a 
Bible  Story,  a dry  statement  of  facts,  and  that,  in  order  to  hold 
the  attention  of  the  youthful  readers,  a book  on  this  subject 
should  have  life  and  movement  as  well  as  scrupulous  accuracy 
and  religious  sentiment. 

MISS  GRAY’S  GIRLS;  or,  Summer  Days  in  the  Scottish 
Highlands.  By  Jeannette  A.  Grant.  With  about  sixty 
illustrations  in  half-tone  and  pen-and-ink  sketches  of  Scot- 
tish scenery. 

A delightfully  told  story  of  a summer  trip  through  Scotland, 
somewhat  out  of  the  beaten  track. 


THE  FAIRY"  FOLK  OF  BLUE  HILL.  A Story  OF  Folk- 
lore. By  Lily  F.  Wesselhoeft,  author  of  “ Sparrow  the 
Tramp,”  etc.,  with  fifty-five  illustrations  from  original  draw- 
ings by  Alfred  C.  Eastman. 

A new  volume  by  Mrs.  Wesselhoeft,  well  known  as  one  of  our 
best  writers  for  the  young,  and  who  has  made  a host  of  friends 
among  the  young  people  ivho  have  read  her  delightful  books. 
This  book  ought  to  interest  and  appeal  to  every  child  who  has 
read  her  earlier  works. 


Published  by  L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY 

212  Summer  Street,  Boston 


GIFT  BOOK  SERIES  FOR  BOYS  AND  GIRLS.  — Continued. 


FEATS  ON  THE  FIORD.  A Tale  of  Norwegian  Life.  By 
Harriet  Martineau.  With  about  sixty  original  illustra- 
tions and  a colored  frontispiece. 

This  admirable  book,  read  and  enjoyed  by  so  many  young 
people,  deserves  to  be  brought  to  the  attention  of  parents  in 
search  of  wholesome  reading  for  their  children  to-day.  It  is 
something  more  than  a juvenile  book,  being  really  one  of  the 
most  instructive  books  about  Norway  and  Norwegian  life  and 
manners  ever  written,  well  deserving  liberal  illustration  and  the 
luxury  of  good  paper  now  given  to  it. 

SONGS  AND  RHYMES  FOR  THE  LITTLE  ONES.  Compiled 
by  Mary  Whitney  Morrison  (Jenny  Wallis).  New  edition, 
with  an  introduction  by  Mrs.  A.  D.  T.  Whitney,  and  eight 
illustrations. 

No  better  description  of  this  admirable  book  can  be  given 
than  Mrs.  Whitney’s  happy  introduction. 

“ One  might  almost  as  -well  offer  June  roses  with  the  assur- 
ance of  their  sweetness,  as  to  present  this  lovely  little  gathering 
of  verse  which  announces  itself,  like  them,  by  its  own  delicious- 
ness. . . . The  most  bewitching  book  of  songs  for  little  people 
that  we  have  ever  known.” 

THE  YOUNG  PEARL  DIVERS.  A Story  of  Australian 
Adventure  by  Land  and  by  Sea.  By  Lieut.  H.  Phelps 
Whitmarsh,  author  of  “ The  Mysterious  Voyage  of  the 
Dapline''  etc.  Illustrated  with  twelve  full-page  half-tones,  by 
II.  Burgess,  whose  drawings  have  exactly  caught  the  spirited  tone 
of  the  narrative. 

This  is  a splendid  story  for  boys,  by  an  author  who  writes  in 
vigorous  and  interesting  language,  of  scenes  and  adventures  with 
which  he  is  personally  acquainted. 

TIMOTHY  DOLE.  By  Juniata  Salsbury.  With  twenty-five  or 
thirty  illustrations  from  drawings  and  pen-and-ink  sketches. 
The  title  gives  no  clue  to  the  character  of  the  book,  but  the 
reader  who  begins  the  first  chapter  will  not  stop  until  he  has 
finished  the  whole.  The  youthful  hero,  and  a genuine  hero  he 
proves  to  be,  starts  from  home,  loses  his  way,  meets  with  startling 
adventures,  finds  friends,  kind  and  many,  grows  to  be  a manly 
man,  and  is  able  to  devote  himself  to  bettering  the  condition  of 
the  poor  in  the  mining  region  of  Pennsylvania,  the  scene  of  his 
early  life  and  adventures. 


Published  by  L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY 

212  Summer  Street,  Boston 


OTHER  NEW  JUVENILES 


OLD  FATHER  GANDER.  A fioOK  of  Rhymes  and  Pictures 
foe  Young  People.  By  Walter.  Scott  Howard. 

1 vol.,  oblong  quarto,  cloth,  decorative  ....  §2.00 

The  illustrations  are  so  striking  and  fascinating  that  the  book 
will  appeal  to  young  people  aside  front  the  fact  even  of  the  charm 
and  humor  of  the  songs  and  rhymes. 

THE  CROCK  OF  GOLD.  A New  Book  of  Faiey  Tales.  By 
S.  Baking  Gould,  author  of  “ Mehalah,”  “ Old  Country  Life,” 
“ Old  English  Fairy  Tales,”  etc.  With  twenty-five  full-page 
illustrations  by  F.  D.  Bedford. 

1 vol.,  tall  12mo,  cloth,  decorative,  gilt  top  . . . $1-50 

THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  AVENGER.  In  the  Days  of  the 
Dashing  Drake.  By  Henry  St.  John,  author  of  “ A Middy 
of  Nelson’s  Day,”  etc.  With  twenty-five  full-page  illustrations 
by  Paul  Hardy. 

1 vol.,  tall  12mo,  cloth,  decorative,  gilt  top,  400  pages  §1.50 
A boy’s  book  of  adventure,  the  scene  of  which  is  laid  in  that 
stirring  period  of  colonial  extension  when  England’s  famous 
naval  heroes  encountered  the  ships  of  Spain,  both  at  home  and  in 
the  West  Indies. 

A CHILD’S  HISTORY  OF  SPAIN.  By  Leonard  Williams, 
author  of  “ Ballads  and  Songs  of  Spain,”  etc. 

1 vol.,  small  12mo,  with  frontispiece,  cloth,  gilt  top  . $0.75 

The  author  describes  in  familiar  language  the  reconquest  of 
Spain  from  the  Moors,  and  her  subsequent  history  down  to  the 
present  year,  and  the  peace  concluded  in  1898  with  the  United 
States  of  America.  Throughout  the  work  the  narrative  and  dra- 
matic is  aimed  at,  rather  than  the  merely  statistical,  but  Mr. 
Williams’s  ideal  may  be  best  summed  up  by  a quotation  from  his 
preface.  He  says  : “ It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  little  to  gain 
and  much  to  confuse,  by  insisting  too  minutely  on  the  dry  dates 
relating  to  the  Christian  and  Moorish  sovereigns  who  succeed  one 
another,  often  with  bewildering  rapidity,  in  Aragon,  Castile, 
Navarre,  and  Moslem  Spain. 

“ Now  and  again,  however,  a great  fighting  king  stands  forth, 
head  and  shoulders  above  the  rest,  a landmark,  so  to  speak,  amid 
the  wilderness.  Him  I have  endeavored  to  throw  into  relief,  so 
that  even  a child  may  be  able  to  point  to  him  and  exclaim,  ‘ Here, 
at  least,  I find  a substantial  fact  and  figure.’  ” 


Published  by  L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY 

212  Summer  Street,  Boston 


COSY  CORNER  SERIES 

OF 

CHARMING  JUVENILE  STORIES 

Price,  Fifty  Cents  Each 

THE  FORTUNES  OF  THE  FELLOW.  By  Will  Allen 
Dkomgoole. 

THE  GATE  OF  THE  GIANT  SCISSORS.  By  Annie  Fellows- 
Johnston. 

THE  SLEETING  BEAUTY.  A Modern  Version.  By  Martha 
Baker  Dunn. 

THE  YOUNG  ARCHER.  By  Charles  E.  Biumblecom. 

A LITTLE  PURITAN  REBEL.  By  Edith  Robinson. 

THE  FARRIER’S  DOG  AND  HIS  FELLOW.  By  Will  Allen 
Dkomgoole. 

THE  FRINGE  OF  THE  PIN  ELVES.  By  Charles  Lee 
Sleight. 

A DOG  OF  FLANDERS.  By  “ Ouida.” 

THE  NURNBERG  STOVE.  By  “ Ouida.” 

OLE  MAMMY’S  TORMENT.  By  Annie  Fellows-Johnston. 
THE  LITTLE  COLONEL.  By  Annie  Fellows-Johnston. 

BIG  BROTHER.  By  Annie  Fellows-Johnston. 

A LOYAL  LITTLE  MAID.  By  Edith  Robinson. 

THE  LITTLE  LAME  PRINCE.  By  Miss  Muloch. 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A BROWNIE.  By  Miss  Muloch. 

HIS  LITTLE  MOTHER.  By  Miss  Mulocii. 

WEE  DOROTHY’S  TRUE  VALENTINE.  By  Laura  Upde- 

GRAFF. 

LA  BELLE  NIVERNAISE.  The  Story  of  an  Old  Boat  and  Her 
Crew.  By  Alphonse  Daudet. 

A GREAT  EMERGENCY.  By  Juliana  IIoratiaEwing. 

THE  TRINITY  FLOWER.  By  Juliana  Horatia  Ewing. 
STORY  OF  A SHORT  LIFE.  By  Juliana  Horatia  Ewing. 
JACKANAPES.  By  Juliana  Horatia  Ewing. 

RAB  AND  HIS  FRIENDS.  By  Dr.  John  Brown. 

THE  KING  OF  THE  GOLDEN  RIVER.  A Legend  of  Stina. 
By  John  Ruskin. 

THE  YOUNG  KING.  THE  STAR  CHILD.  Two  Tales. 


Published  by  L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY 
212  Summer  Street,  Boston 


COSY  CORNER  SERIES.  — Continued. 


THE  LITTLE  COLONEL’S  NEIGHBORS.  By  Annie  Fellows- 

JOHNSTON. 

A LITTLE  DAUGHTER  OF  LIBERTY.  By  Edith  Robinson. 
LITTLE  KING  DAVIE.  By  Nellie  Hellis. 

LITTLE  PETERKIN  VANDIKE.  By  Charles  Stuart  Pratt. 
THE  MAKING  OF  ZIMRI  BUNKER.  By  W J.  Long. 


COSY  CORNER  SERIES 

FOR 

OLDER  READERS 


A Series  of  Short  Original  Stories,  or  Reprints  of  YVeILknown 
Favorites,  Sketches  of  Travel,  Essays  and  Poems. 


The  books  of  this  series  answer  a long-felt  need  for  a half-hour’s 
entertaining  reading,  while  in  the  railway  car,  during  the  summer 
outing  in  the  country  or  at  the  seaside,  or  by  the  evening  lamp  at 
home.  They  are  particularly  adapted  for  reading  aloud,  contain- 
ing nothing  hut  the  best  from  a literary  standpoint,  and  are  un- 
exceptionable in  every  way.  They  are  printed  from  good  type, 
illustrated  with  original  sketches  by  good  artists,  and  neatly 
bound  in  cloth.  The  size  is  a 16mo,  not  too  large  for  the  pocket. 

Price,  Fifty  Cents  Each 

MEMORIES  OF  THE  manse.  Glijipses  oi  Scottish  Life 
and  Character.  By  Anne  Breadalbaxe. 

CHRISTMAS  AT  THOMPSON  HALL.  By  Anthony  Trollope. 
A PROY’ENCE  ROSE.  By  Louisa  de  la  Rame  (Ouida). 

IN  DISTANCE  AND  IN  DREAM.  By  M.  F.  SWEETSER. 

WILL  O’  THE  MILL.  By  Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


Published  by  L.  C.  PAGE  AND  COMPANY 

2J2  Summer  Street,  Boston 


